Unwound
by Auto-Regen
Summary: An unfortunate incident gives Cloud a second chance. Timefic, AU, M/M, M/M/M
1. Prologue

Revised 1/22/12

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><p>Weightless. His body was weightless, suspended Gaia only knows where. Mako blue eyes dared not open, afraid he might be falling instead of floating. Suddenly, there was a warm, loving touch, much like his mother's; his voice was soft, unsure, 'Mother?…'<p>

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Bright blue eyes peered open in a blurry haze, only fuzzy outlines were visible to the blonde, before his lids fell. He felt like his body was far to heavy for even him to move. How much time had passed? It seemed like only moments ago he was floating away, but now he could feel the earth below him; the give of the dirt, the grass brushed his skin and the scent of spring were things he hadn't felt or smelled in a long time. It was intoxicating and warm, it made him sleepy. The blonde began to dose until something touched his face.

Soft petals brushed the side of his face making him realize that he was not in the ruins of Midgar anymore. Could he be in the Church? No. He had been fighting… But with who? His mind drifted. Names, faces, and even events passed him by but none seemed to match up; until catlike eyes flashed across his minds eye, the madness that resided in those once beloved green eyes reminded him of where he was. What he should have been doing. Ocean blue eyes shot open and a single word passed his lips, "Sephiroth…"

A familiar face leaned over him and cast a shadow over his hazy eyes. Cloud gasped softly when his eyes finally focused on mako enhanced, sky blue eyes much like his own. Black spikes fell forward to frame the handsome face staring down at him; the heart warming smile focused on him was one that he could hardly remember anymore, but loved all the same. The man's smile turned into an ear to ear grin at the astonished blue eyes below him, "What's wrong Cloud? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Zackary Fair was squatting above him, a grin as large as life itself plastered across his tan face. Cloud couldn't breathe, couldn't blink, couldn't move. He feared any little thing would make all of this go away, make this moment end. He would have to go through the loss all over again. "Hey now, I'm not that scary," the older man chuckled before reaching down and offering the blonde his hand, "Come on Spiky, walk with me a little."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

While Aerith was busy, focusing on healing the Stigma, Zack had slipped away to walk in the vast, and endless fields of the Lifestream had given them. Gaia had given her chosen few a certain plain of reality, but she could only do so much. There was only so much any of them could do… Angeal came around every now and again, but only ever worried about Genesis. Aerith was practically the planet's poster girl, so she was busy trying to keep order. Then there was Zack, he was just bored. He couldn't play a real part in the lifecycle of the Stream, but was known to occasionally pull people he knew out for a chat when their time had passed.

He knew the situation on Gaia was grave; Rufus had Jenova's head, Cloud was battling against the remnants and Geostigma, and to top it all off Sephiroth had returned yet again. And yet again, the blonde had stepped forward to destroy another piece of himself by having to kill his childhood idol again. Zack wasn't worried about the fight, honestly he wasn't even thinking about it. The mundane and monotonous had taken over his excitement when Aerith stopped filling him in. He worried about Cloud of course, he always worried about Cloud, but without any new details he really couldn't do anything but keep his mind off of things until the flower girl decided to proclaim Cloud the victor of the fight.

The raven haired Ex-SOLDIER raised his arms and stretched as tall as he could before dramatically dropping them; his eyes surveyed the fields, hoping that something had strayed from the Stream to add a little excitement. A dog, a chocobo, hell even a monster would be nice at that point. The sky held an eerie, suspended sunset and floating through that red orange sky were the souls in the Stream, visible as they passed through to repeat the same cycle that had been happening for thousands of years. A glint of silver caught Zack's attention and his Mako eyes widened as he saw Kadaj pass by. The boy looked peaceful.

Frowning, the raven haired man's eyes scanned every part of the Lifestream he could see, but the other two were nowhere in sight. Zack waited anxiously; there where suppose to be three, all with silver hair… A horrifying thought occurred to him and he frantically began searching for blonde hair. There where so many, but none with Cloud's fair features, which caused a sigh of relief. Zack hadn't seen his blonde friend in a long time, but he couldn't have changed much considering how much mako the kid had pumped into him.

The man calmed himself and leveled his view only to find something else catching his attention. Out in the flowers, a shine. The Ex-SOLDIER jogged over, only to stop dead in his tracks and gape. Dressed in all black, similar to a SOLDIER first uniform, blonde hair shorter but still just as untamed, and face as fair as ever was the very man on his mind. "Cloud?…" Zack breathed softly as he squatted down beside the man and pushed his gloved fingers into soft, but dirty, blonde spikes and pushed them from the younger man's face. His palm rested against Cloud's temple as his fingers fisted in that hair.

"Cloud…" if he wasn't already dead, Zack was sure he would have died of shock. His face split into a loving smile and all his worries were forgotten when he saw that the blonde wasn't just going to vanish; he was real.

His hand trailed down the side of Cloud's face, before he pulled it away. It was the same beautiful face that he had tried so hard to protect. He was squatting on the balls of his feet, grinning like a lunatic; and he couldn't wipe it off even if he had wanted to. His elbows rested on his knees while his fingers ran idly through the flowers between his feet, but his eyes remained on his younger friend. So many times he had wanted to tell the blonde how he had felt, and so many times he had failed. Gloved fingers finally found a suitable flower and he plucked it from the ground; twirling it between his fingers before reaching out on a whim and running the petals over equally soft skin. Cloud twitched and began to show signs of waking, making Zack more than a little giddy to see the eyes that he had so longed to look into.

Before the raven haired man could say a word Cloud's mouth had begun to move, forming the name of his tormentor. It sounded startled, like the blonde was expecting the man to be standing before him; but people from the Stream were often disoriented. Zack had awoken more than a few times panicking that Cloud was missing, or that Shin-Ra had found them while they were on the run.

The Ex-SOLDIER wasn't expecting shocking blue eyes to open so suddenly, his breath caught in his throat for a moment as those hazy eyes focused on him. The blonde's eyes glowed, and not just SOLDIER glowed, but truly glowed. Rivaling, or greater than Sephiroth's startling emerald eyes. Shock registered in those blue eyes; though Zack couldn't say he blamed him, but boy was Cloud beautiful; Laying there, looking up at him with wide ocean blue eyes, a slight flush on his face, and those tempting lips parted ever so slightly. Trying to wave the thought away the raven haired man stood as his smile turned to a grin and he chuckled nervously, "What's wrong Cloud? Don't you remember me?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he sluggishly reached up and grasped the black haired man's strong hand. Zack easily hefted him upward, onto unstable feet. The blonde stumbled forward into his friend and faster than the Ex-SOLDIER could blink, his other arm was seized for support. "Zack… Zack? What's going on?" Cloud's voice was as soft as the man remembered, his slight accent hadn't changed a bit. Zack regarded his friend with a long stare, taking in the look of bewilderment on the man's pretty face. And slowly, he shook his head. Telling the blonde that he himself didn't have a clue either. But in his defense, he wasn't thinking anymore, and hadn't been since he'd caught sight of Cloud's hair. Silence. The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat and looked around nervously before glancing up at Zack with big eyes.

The Ex-SOLDIER stared at Cloud's face and let his eyes wander down to the new clothes that the blonde was clad in, they hugged his form and showed just how much he had grown; and grown he had over the time that spanned Zack's death to the second fight with Sephiroth. "So, you gonna take a little walk with me? We can figure out what's going on…" Zack asked softly, quietly; as if he was coaxing a frightened animal. A flutter of anxiety made it's way into the black haired Ex-SOLDIER's chest, Cloud didn't seem happy to see him at all… It didn't even occur to the man that his friend was in shock.

Cloud nodded after a moment of hesitation and a million questions flew through his mind but nonetheless he agreed. He slowly released Zack's arms and took a step back, steadying himself. His head was spinning and there were so many things that wanted to spill out as he looked up at Zack. The blonde couldn't find it in himself to open his mouth, so instead he just kept quiet for the time being. Zack chuckled nervously, "Still not much of a talker, huh? Aerith'll be disappointed if you don't at least say hello to her," Zack said casually trying to lighten the building tension, but felt a pang of jealousy when the blonde perked up a little at the mention of the flower girl. He knew Aerith had done a lot for both of them, but he couldn't help feeling jealous that the mere mention of her name got the blonde's attention when he himself hadn't gotten anything but shellshock. Pushing it aside, he took Cloud's hand and led him further into what Cloud recognized was what he had come to think of as Aerith's flower field. The blonde let himself be led, his eyes cast downward to the flowers that seemed to maneuver from under their feet.

"Hey! Aer! I found a chocobo in your garden, can I keep 'im?" Zack quickened his pace making Cloud stumble a little and struggle to keep up with the taller man's anxious strides. The blonde became caught up in the nostalgia of it all when he saw Aerith kneeling in the flowers, though he couldn't see her face, the image of her in the church still flashed in his mind. He hadn't really heard Zack's request, and had missed the almost strained tone in the Ex-SOLDIER's voice as he tried to lighten the mood. He had missed the denial hidden deep in his tone. He missed it all… His attention was solely focused on the flower girl kneeling before them.

"Zack, you know Angeal and I have told you thousands of-… Cl-Cloud?" the young woman looked bewildered to see the blonde savior being towed around by Zack.

Zack tilted his head to the side curiously, "Huh?… "

"Zack… You can't just pull him out like that… The Lifestream won't accept him and let him back into his body if you keep him here…" Aerith explained to Zack, though her eyes were locked on Cloud's.

Zack's indignant huff got both of their attention. "I didn't pull him out of the Stream, I found him in the fields, didn't you listen to what I said?…" his tone was one of clear annoyance at being ignored. But, slowly his brain picked apart what she had just told him. Panic set in.

For Cloud to end up in the fields it could only mean that he was in the Lifestream and for him to be in the Lifestream it could only mean that he was dead. "How did I get here? I remember fighting Sephiroth, and beating him… Then…" blonde eyebrows drew together in a moment of concentration. And after a moment of serious thinking, Zack's staring, and Aerith's fidgeting he remembered the rain. He had been standing in the rain, and Yazoo and Loz came out of nowhere. He had attacked them and the explosion that resulted… This could only mean that the blonde warrior had actually died, right after saving the world AGAIN. Aerith nodded at him when he looked at her with wide blue eyes, confirming his suspicions. Zack caught on moments later and visibly drooped, feeling like an idiot for letting himself get so caught up in seeing Cloud that he didn't actually think of how the blonde had gotten there.

Cloud blinked at the Ex-SOLDIER and Cetra before carefully opening his mouth. "It felt like my mother… Like she pulled me away from everything…" his voice was soft, and distant, and it absolutely broke Zack's heart. His initial happiness at seeing the blonde crept away; he was delighted to see the smaller man, just not under the current conditions.

"Cloud… That's…" Aerith hesitated when both men looked at her, "Not good. Your mother has… Passed through the Lifestream already." Her heart became heavy when the blonde lowered his head slightly, "Maybe, Hm… Hold on." The brunette woman vanished in a wisp, leaving the two men alone.

Zack glanced at the downcast blonde; the younger man that had persevered through so much, done so much for so many people, only to get nothing but pain in return. "Cloud, I've got mixed feelings about all of this… I'm-… Are you-…" Cloud's shoulder's shook as silent sobs wracked his body. He made no attempt to hide his tears from the man and Zack panicked.

He didn't know what to do, he made to pull the blonde toward him by the shoulders but quickly recoiled when he realized that might make the smaller man uncomfortable. He floundered in place, reaching and withdrawing for several moments before he finally pulled the blonde to him. It surprised him when Cloud submitted and simply cried silently against his chest. "Cloud, I'm sure your mom-" he was cut off when blonde spikes shook back and forth furiously.

Finally gasping for much needed air, Cloud sobbed against Zack's sweater and hid his face from the man, "I'm so sorry!"

Zack's head spun, Cloud was apologizing to him? "For wha-" again the crying blonde cut him off, "I promised to live both of our lives! And I couldn't, Zack!" Always the martyr, Zack marveled at the man crying against him. He wasn't crying for himself, or the fact that he wouldn't get to see his mother again… He was crying for Zack?

"Oh, Cloud…" Zack whispered as his strong arms wrapped around the shaking blonde, "I never thought things would turn out the way they did… I never expected Sephiroth to be such a persistent prick." To his very core Zack had always wished he had never made the blonde promise him something so cruel, and he had only found out how taxing it was after having the planet's savior fall apart right in front of him… The raven haired man pulled the blonde closer and pressed the side of his face to the side of Cloud's spiky head. "It was unfair of me to ask such a thing of you," he told his smaller friend as he rubbed the side of his face against the side of his head.

They stood like that until Aerith came out of nowhere and stopped to survey the scene before speaking, "The explosion killed Loz and Yazoo… And you, Cloud." Zack could see her eyes shining with unshed tears. "And we can't put you back this time, the planet simply doesn't have enough power… I'm so sorry." she told him sincerely.

Cloud sobbed again in response, and let out an anguished cry against Zack's sweater as his hands fisted in the back of it at the man's shoulder blades.

"Aerith, there has to be some way, please?" Zack found himself saying without thinking. He would love to keep the blonde with him, but if Cloud was hell-bent on his promise then there would be no happiness in it for either of them.

"Zack… There is one thing, but, we can't put him through it all over again… That's just cruel," the little woman said softly.

The raven haired man perked up as he hugged the still sobbing blonde against him. "Through it again?… As in, go back?" he questioned skeptically. When the woman reluctantly nodded, Zack's heart leapt.

"But it's never been done before… Things could end up different than he remembered, inconsistencies could occur, and it's unpredictable as to where in his life he'll come out. It could be minutes after he was born, hours before meeting you or seconds before the disaster in Nibelheim… It's dangerous…" Zack nodded absently as he looked down at Cloud. A long silence, with the exception of the occasional sniffle, passed by the three before Zack nodded again. Answering for Cloud, "I think it's worth it." Wide blue eyes quickly looked up at him, the blonde had just tuned into the conversation; only hearing about going back to Nibelheim.

"Are you sure?" Aerith asked, avoiding eye contact with Cloud when he attempted to whip around to look at her.

Without a moments hesitation Zack spoke, "Yes. I am."

The brunette woman bit her bottom lip and nodded before finally looking at Cloud, "Things will be different this time. I promise," She disappeared into a tendril of teal wisps and Zack turned the blonde back to face him.

"Cloud… You have to live for yourself this time. You can't do it for others… And who knows, we may even see each other again…" the Ex-SOLDIER's voice held hope and fear. Not sure what to think.

"Zack, I don't understand," Cloud said in a panicked voice, "What are you going to do?"

"We're gonna give you a second chance, Coud. Don't waste it," Zack warned softly.

A sudden wooziness washed over the blonde as he tried to focus his full attention on protesting, but no words would come. His body became heavy and unresponsive to his commands. Zack pulled the blonde into another hug, not minding having to support the weight he had become familiar with all those years ago.

"You'll see, everything will be awesome this time…" Zack's voice told him as everything around him faded and his body sagged against the SOLDIER's. The black haired man smiled sadly, knowing that he hadn't given Cloud much of a choice in the matter. It was a risky gamble, but he wanted the blonde to be able to live for himself…


	2. Chapter 1

Revised 1/26/12

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><p>A little to Zack's left a mako colored rift opened. The colors swirled and beckoned for him to bring Cloud closer. The hair on the Ex-SOLDIER's neck stood on end, but he supposed that was the power of the Planet. Slowly he walked toward the rift. He wasn't sure what to expect, especially if they came out to a burning Nibelheim; so he did the only thing he could, sent a quick prayer to Gaia that it would be a time that allowed Cloud to be able to relax, if even a little.<p>

He hoped that it would be a time that his friend would be able to smile and enjoy himself, even if it was only for a bit…

"Let's hope for the best, buddy?" Zack's voice was quiet, talking more to the unconscious blonde than himself. His feet stopped in front of the opening, and he took a moment to swallow the lump in his throat before making a move to step forward.

"Wait!" Aerith's voice called from behind him. The raven haired Ex-SOLDIER faltered and half turned to see Aerith standing behind him holding the blonde's sword. "I wanted to say goodbye, too," she said sadly as she made her way over to Zack. He would have laughed at the sight of the dainty flower girl carrying the bulky blade if the situation wasn't so depressing.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking…" he said softly before shifting Cloud a bit so that he could take the blade in his hand without to much trouble. Aerith smiled forgivingly, if not sadly, as she handed him the sword.

"He worked hard for that sword, he should get to keep it… And he may need it when he wakes up…" she reasoned. Zack knew that Cloud's fusion sword was custom made by one of Gaia's best sword smiths, and that the blonde would have to go through a lot of unnecessary trouble to get all the supplies to remake it again. The blade should have been heavy enough to give most enhanced men a problem picking it up, but Aerith (in all her supernatural powers) had carried it easily. It was a wonderful gesture on her part to think of Cloud's love for his blade.

Zack's enhanced, sky blue eyes followed Aerith's hand as it reached up and brushed a few blonde spikes from Cloud's face before she leaned forward and softly kissed the blonde on the forehead before backing away slightly. Zack was surprised how the simple gesture could spark such an ugly feeling inside of him. He knew Aerith loved Cloud, much like she loved Zack himself

"Gaia has decided to give him an advantage as well, a boost in his strength… The power of the Ancients… It's strange to think that one can be made an Ancient instead of being born that way," the flower girl murmured, "There shouldn't be much of anything that will give him a problem."

"An Ancient?" Zack asked suspiciously, "Like he'll be able to hear the Planet?" When Aerith nodded he found himself feeling protective over the blonde, Cloud had enough problems staying attached to reality; the last thing he needed was the Planet telling him what to do.

"Goodbye Cloud, I hope all is well for you when you wake up… Oh. One more thing that I know he'll enjoy," she rummaged through her jacket pockets as she spoke and pulled out something Zack didn't have time to see before she tucked it into on of Cloud's many pockets.

Zack looked at her suspiciously. "You gonna send the kitchen sink, too," he asked in good humor.

"Oh hush, you. I'm just making sure that all his hard work doesn't go to waste… his surprise will be somewhere that no one, except him, would think to look," she said teasingly before sobering up and letting her sadness show in her eyes.

Aerith smiled sadly, "The Planet isn't going to last much longer, even after Cloud defeated Sephiroth… Gaia just simply does not have the power to sustain itself, a few more years maybe, and everything will start dying. He wouldn't be able to be happy here, and even if he found happiness… it would be taken from him in a few short years." Her eyes watered as she looked at Gaia's golden warrior. "I think he deserves to be a little spoiled, even if it takes a little more energy from the Planet. Don't you think, Zack?"

The raven haired man nodded stiffly and turned back to the rift. "What happens if I stay with him after I take him there?" he asked curiously.

"You'll die. Your body will be recycled to the Lifestream to prevent an imbalance," she said matter-of-factly. There was a long silence between the two until Aerith sighed, "You're going to do it anyway, aren't you?" the flower girl asked, already knowing the answer.

Zack nodded again, making Aerith shake her head. She knew of the man's feelings for his friend, and there wasn't a thing she could do to change it. Nothing except support them. She moved forward and hugged the large Ex-SOLDIER from behind. They stayed that way for a while, until Aerith slowly pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Goodbye Zack," she whispered as he moved through the rift and disappeared from her sight for the last time.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Zack wasn't sure how it was going to work; if he'd have to place Cloud's soul into his body, or if the body in his arms was to be Cloud's body.

A flash of light nearly blinded him when he stepped out of the mako colored rift. His eyes automatically squinted at the bright light, scrunching up his handsome face in an almost comical way. When it didn't go away he turned his head away from it and took a look around, there was an odd grayness to everything around them. His mako blue eyes slowly, cautiously, traveled back to the bright light. It seemed to be a sunset… or rise, but it was oddly suspended. The sky was bright near the sun, then slowly faded to black as it got further away… He wasn't honestly sure if it was a rising or setting sun, he had never been good at telling; because of his terrible sense of direction.

A strange feeling passed through him, like being a third wheel or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The longer he stood there holding Cloud the weaker he was beginning to feel. The blonde's sword was becoming unbearably heavy and he nearly dropped his friend as he tried to stop the fusion sword from falling. On instinct, he dropped the sword so as not to risk injuring Cloud; he would never risk injuring Cloud. The blade hit the ground with an eerie silence, and it sunk into the grass below his feet.

Grass? The area around him was surprisingly familiar, but a blurry memory at the same time. Like he'd been here, but… Zack's bright, sky blue eyes roamed the area and immediately widened as he recognized what he was seeing, or rather, who he was seeing. Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and… Zack himself, off a good ways. They stood near the Shin-Ra Third Class barracks. Sephiroth looked amused, Genesis was rolling his eyes Angeal looked to be losing his patience, and Zack was looking eager and enthusiastic about something or another.

Zack felt a wave of weakness pass through his body, Cloud seemed to be getting heavier than it was before. The raven haired Ex-SOLDIER sighed and knelt down, slowly lowering the man to the ground, near his fallen sword. Exceedingly blue eyes flitted over the relaxed expression on the blonde's face, before they moved back up to the group of three men standing before his younger self. His past self's body was frozen in mid gesture; he could see his back, and the fact that he had been moving his hand as he was assumably speaking about something or another. For the some reason the memory of the scene never came to the front of his mind, though he did notice the Third Class blues. Though, the longer he looked at his younger self though, the weaker he began to feel.

Tearing his eyes away, he lower them once more to the man below him. "You hadn't even joined the army, had you?" he questioned the unconscious man, already knowing the answer. The frozen scenery around them seemed to fade as he focused solely on Cloud, the blonde was vibrant and full of life in the dull gray world around them.

"You know, I wanted to tell you how I felt after we got out of Nibelheim… I was gonna wait until you were a little less stressed. Then, I really didn't think about it when we broke out of the lab in the mansion… I just wanted to keep you safe; but I guess now is as good a time as any, considering the circumstances," Zack's Mako bright eyes moved from the blonde's pretty face to the wolf head insignia on his shoulder, throughout his entire speech he just stared at the decretive badge. Slowly, his blue eyes moved back to the blonde's face. Zack's usually confident, now shaky and unsure, voice continued, "I love you so much, more than I've ever loved anyone or anything, and as much as I want you to be awake right now to hear it… I'm really glad you aren't… I wouldn't want you to think any less of me for being this way… but, I've loved you for so long, Cloud." Said blonde's hand twitched slightly as Zack's voice vaguely reached his unconscious mind.

The feeling of being displaced increased more and more as he spoke. He could feel his body growing weaker at such a fast rate. He knew he wasn't suppose to be there, and it was becoming harder for him to hold a sense of self. The rift that was left behind him flickered, giving him a chance to change his mind. He had no reason to return, Cloud was the only reason he was still tied to the Lifestream. His feelings for the blonde had been so strong that they had manifested into a 'physical' form. He wondered if being reabsorbed would hurt. He could handle a little pain if it meant being able to stay with his friend until the Stream inevitably took him in.

He sat down by Cloud's side. It shocked him when he saw color flicker and bleed life into the surrounding world before leaving again. The eerie silence had momentarily been disrupted by the sound of yelling drill sergeants and answering soldiers. Time was fighting to resume itself, and move on. Zack knew that he was the reason that if was being held back, but couldn't bring himself to care. The dark rift behind him disappeared completely after flitting for several minutes, taking away his last chance to return to the dying version of Gaia. A strange straining force bared down on Zack's body, making him feel weak and heavy. It pulled and tore at his very being, the pain was immense and continuous. He was an intruder in this place, and it was becoming more and more obvious that the Planet wasn't going to give him much longer to stay with the blonde.

"Cloud… I don't really know what's going to happen. I can't protect you this time," the raven haired man's eyes trailed down at his own hands, watching as mako colored tendrils began to lift and dissipate off his body. A slightly shaking hand reached out and ran through the man's hair, further mussing blonde spikes. His voice became quieter, softer, as he continued to speak to Cloud's unconscious form. "Can I-… I'd really like to…" the usually charismatic Ex-SOLDIER verbally tripped and fell all over himself before finally leaning forward and hesitating a breath away from kissing his friend. He had wanted to for so long, had had the chance but never gotten permission…

"Cloud…" the thought of the younger man is what had sustained him for years. Given him a reason to live in life, and a body in the Lifestream. His subconscious refused to let him go, his feelings toward the blonde man were far to strong to just disappear. Just as Cloud was connected Sephiroth, Zack was connected to Cloud.

The raven haired man swallowed the lump in his throat, and waited a moment longer before moving his face up, and kissing the younger man's forehead instead. "It wouldn't be right to just take… if this is all that we can ever have… then that's enough for me." his lips pressed softly against Cloud's temple. The Stream's energy that was coming off of his body was getting darker in color, leaving him pale and dull looking. He could feel himself fading. Aerith might not have been happy with his choice, but without Cloud there he had no reason to stay.

He felt like he was losing his friend, and the thought was painful. He would never get to see him again… Not that his soul would know any different once it was absorbed, but that was besides the point. He was losing Cloud by losing himself.

The Lifestream's energy that made up Zack's body was beginning to look like smoke coming off of him, it was a sickly green mist that held what little life he had left in his form. He flashing a weak smile at his longtime crush, he didn't want to leave, but knew that he had to. The raven haired man let himself be pulled apart by the Lifestream. After a moment, nothing but Cloud and his sword remained. Zack's warmth lingered for a moment longer before fading. Life flickered into the surrounding, color bled into the world around the unconscious man, and everything resumed it's natural course.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was a little past sunrise when Genesis and Angeal met Sephiroth behind the main Shin-Ra building. The smell of pollution was less potent because of the imported trees that had managed to survive long enough to somewhat cleanse the air. They had been implanted into the plate along with the artificial grass and terrain that made up the outside training ground. Mako fed through tubing in the ground kept them alive and green.

They had planned to train in the VR rooms but it was under repair thanks to one, Zackary Fair, for trying to show Angeal that he could handle a level far beyond his own. Zack had gotten carried away and broken it in an adrenaline fit; needless to say the older man was not impressed.

Genesis grinned at Angeal's tired expression when he noticed Zack tailing Sephiroth. It was clear to them, having known the general for so long, that the man was ignoring the eager Third Class. However, to anyone else it would seem that he was just being the regular cold and distant general. Zack didn't seem to catch the tension in Sephiroth's shoulders as he chatted away about the simulator 'just up and breaking down on him'. The general knew better, but he let the younger man babble on. Angeal was left wondering where the silver haired man got his patience. Zack drove Angeal crazy most of the time, the boy never shut up, but to his credit, Zack had explained that he tended to get chatty when he got nervous. But that only meant that he was nervous ALL THE TIME.

"Oh look Angeal, he found your puppy," Genesis said loud enough for Zack to hear. The boy immediately perked up at Angeal's name and he glanced around Sephiroth to see the honorable SOLDIER give his longtime friend a death glare. Sephiroth seemed to relax slightly when the overeager Third's attention left him, giving him room to breath.

"Angeal! I've been looking all over for you. I wanted to know if you could show me a few moves to put me ahead of my class," Zack bounced around the silver haired general and over to the large man. Angeal could feel the headache coming…

Zack began to gesture wildly with his hands as he spoke, "I was also wondering if you'd join the teaching program and become my mentor. Reno, you remember Reno? Well, Reno has a mentor and said that it's really helped him… so, I thought maybe you would, ya know, be interested in putting a little knowledge out there since your all about following your dreams and you encourage people to do the same. And you know I've always dreamed of being a First Class…" Zack finally took a breath after his longwinded speech. Throughout his speaking and his wild gesturing Zack kept a huge grin on his face and a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I'd love to Zack, but you know how busy we are with everything that's going on with AVALANCHE and Wutai. I don't have any time for myself, let alone an understudy," Angeal explained patiently. The younger man physically deflated and began to look downcast. Zack was a man that wore his emotions openly, and to see him so upset made even Genesis feel a little bad for him.

"Oh, okay. I understand," Zack was upset, but he understood; what he couldn't explain was the feeling of overwhelming loss. It felt like it was suppose to be. It felt like Angeal was suppose to accept him and take him under his wing.

It was upsetting but not completely disheartening, maybe once everything was taken care of then Angeal would have time for him.

Zack's optimism only lasted for a short moment before he began to feel an unexplainable, and deep depression. He suddenly felt that he was missing something very important. young man frowned and pondered on it. It was like losing something that he cherished and loved very much. He'd never felt it in such an extreme way before.

He could feel his eyes begin to water on their own. His heart clenched painfully and his breath caught in his throat. He felt like he was being torn in two, could feel himself fighting not to let out a sob.

"Zack? Are you alright?" Angeal asked, his voice quiet but surprised, the three First Class' were all staring at the Third. The boy was nearly in tears, all over Angeal turning him down for a mentorship? Zack had gone from looking hopeful to distraught so fast it nearly made the honorable SOLDIER's head spin.

'Cloud,' the lingering thought struck Zack. 'Cloud'? Why? His eyes turned skyward, wondering what a cloud had to do with this strange feeling of loss.

The sun had risen enough that what could be seen of the lingering stars had vanished, leaving the sky cloudless and empty except for the pollution clouds. Something told him that his answer would not be found in the sky, but on the ground. The young man turned around and looked toward the rising sun.

A glint of gold caught his eye and his mind was suddenly flooded with relief. It became clear of the lost and heart wrenching feeling. "What is that?" he breathed quietly. Wondering what on Gaia could be going on. His heart fluttered with excitement as he immediately started toward the shining object. Three other pairs of eyes followed him, all curious as to what was going on in the boy's head.

Zack jogged across the open expanse of land until he reached the shining object… Or in the case being, a blonde man. The raven haired teenager's breath caught as he looked down at the man. He looked like he was glowing, like some sort of angel. A golden halo of hair, pale lightly freckled skin, a beautiful yet boyish face, and an odd air lingering around him. Zack dropped to his knees beside the unconscious man and stared, it seemed to be all he could do. His heartbeat quickened, and his mind screamed familiarity at him. He somehow knew this man, but couldn't recall ever seeing him before.

Genesis let out a low whistle when he, Sephiroth and Angeal got close enough to see the fallen blonde. The copper haired man openly admired the blonde's pretty face and well toned arms. Sephiroth's eyes seemed glued to Cloud as well, predatory almost. Angeal, however, was looked at the fallen warrior's weapon instead of its wielder. It looked suspiciously like his buster sword, but battle worn and more intricate and complicated. The blade laid right beside the blonde, but the other three seemed to miss it completely, to enthralled by the pretty face before them.

Angeal bent to pick the sword up and was shocked to find that he could hardly lift the large blade. His surprised grunt caught Genesis' attention first. It was made of some heavy grade materials, extremely heavy and durable metals; possibly even materia integrated into the sword. The metal's sheen and pattern were beautiful, and though it was battle roughened it was obvious that the blonde took good care of it..

"Are you having trouble Angeal?" Genesis asked in an amused tone, finally bringing the other two distracted men from their fixated gazes. Watching the bulky man strain to pull the blade up from the ground.

Angeal's face burned as he realized that all of the attention was suddenly on him; he released the blade, letting it fall heavily to the ground, and stood upright, "It's um… Really heavy…"

Genesis rolled his eyes at his friend and bent to grab First Tsurugi's hilt. The sword was big, but his friend had to be exaggerating. Sephiroth was staring at Angeal in an unnerving fashion and Zack was now mesmerized by the large blade. The black haired First fidgeted under the General's gaze.

"By the Goddess…" Genesis huffed, straining with both hands on the handle, but managing to lift the blade enough to push the tip into the ground. He forced it upright and pray that it stayed that way.

"You two are First Class SOLDIERs…" Sephiroth said darkly as he glanced between the two. Both stiffened when alien green eyes searched them. The general's gloved hand reached out and grabbed the fusion sword's handle before pulling it free from the ground. His eyes widened in surprise. "It really is heavy…" he muttered quietly causing Genesis to snicker at him.

"Do you suppose this is his weapon?" Angeal asked suddenly, catching everyone off guard. All eyes turned back to the blonde. He certainly didn't look like much; shorter than most, pretty face, and a slim but toned build. No, it didn't appear to be his, but then again... Sephiroth felt a wave of dread. One of Hojo's experiments maybe… if it had escaped then it had certainly gotten a ways away unnoticed, and it was certainly much more beautiful than any of the most recent 'pets' that he had seen in the good doctor's lab. But, this man didn't look like he had collapsed, his expression was peaceful and he seemed to have been set down with great care…

"Pick him up, and follow me," the general murmured before turning on his heals and heading to the Shin-Ra First Class apartment complex, his hair and coat billowing behind him; large buster sword still in hand. Zack was the first to move, slipping his arms beneath the blonde's shoulders and knees and lifting him with a quiet grunt. He was heavier than he looked, but not so much so that Zack had to strain himself.

"Come on guys," the Third said with a touch curiosity in his voice. Angeal and Genesis snapped out of their stupor and followed quietly. Now that he was closer to the blonde his heart sped up and his cheeks tinted pink. He wasn't even sure why, but he hoped that his heartbeat couldn't be heard … The blonde's light colored eyelashes shadowed his cheeks, his nose was cute and slightly upturned, and his lips were pouty and plump, kissable looking… The man looked more like a model than a fighter.

Zack shook himself from his thoughts, he had never looked at other men like that before. He liked girls. GIRLS. But, he had never really given a thought to being with a man…

"Sephiroth, where are we going?" Genesis asked when no one else would. Sephiroth led them through the building and to the elevator and pressed the call button before looking over his shoulder at them. It was a bit odd to see the general standing with a group of men waiting for the elevator. Let alone holding a modified buster sword with one hand. The blade was pointed toward the ground and parallel to his body in a non-threatening manner. Odd indeed.

"To my apartment," he muttered quietly, not wanting anyone other than Genesis, Angeal, and Zack to hear him. If this man was truly one of Hojo's experiments, and he had managed to get that far, they had a very small window of time to get him hidden before a search was issued. The blonde was lucky to have gotten as far as he did on his own.

Sephiroth found himself thinking that the least he could do was take pity on him, and let him rest in a bed before letting him make his escape. It was no secret that the general held contempt for scientists, of all sorts, but no one would think him the type to go out of his way to make life hard for them… They would, of course, be wrong in their assumptions. Sephiroth would make it his life's goal to harass the science department if he was given half a chance.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I've never seen this man around… What's to say he's not a terrorist?" Angeal's 'Voice of Reason' tone crept into each and every word that he spoke. It left Zack feeling overly protective of the man in his arms, and made Genesis and Sephiroth roll their eyes. Though, it was true, the blonde could turn out to be a lunatic, a psychopathic killer, possibly a sociopath bent on burning down all of Midgar and killing all of its citizens.

"Then we will just have to… 'interrogate' him," Genesis purred beside him. Sephiroth and Angeal's eyes widened comically and Zack took a wide step away from the man, shielding the blonde's body from the copper haired man's view.


	3. Chapter 2

My take on time travel is that only one of a person is allowed in a timeline. Zack had a choice to return to the old *AC* timeline or stay in the new one and become possibly fade away completely. He chose to stay because without Cloud he had no reason to stay in the Lifestream. By staying it meant that the Lifestream would become momentarily unbalanced at having two Zacks in the same time period, so it forced him to be reabsorbed. The Lifestream was the force pulling at him and straining his connection with Cloud, for those of you that it is unclear to.

The unbalance was the flickering of the life returning around them, then back into the lifeless space in between that he and Cloud were in. When Zack decided to stay it was to spend as much time he could with Cloud before things returned to normal. When he disappeared, returned to the Lifestream to return the balance of things, a small part of him was left with the 'New' Zack. Because they are the same person, I'd think that the Planet wouldn't be able to keep them completely separated. I just don't believe in a person being able to coexist with themself without some kind of horrible paradox happening. So there will only be one Cloud, it will be like the younger one never existed.

**Edit** Fixed a few things.

EDIT 08/25/2011

* * *

><p>The elevator ride up was awkward; Angeal was eyeing Genesis warily, like the redhead may pounce at any moment. Sephiroth seemed to be trying to repress the memory of Genesis' tone, the man sounded far to pleased with his answer for the General's liking. Zack's eyes were looking at the blonde again. Something about the man seemed so familiar. Lastly, Genesis seemed to be eyeing the defenseless blonde as well. A predatory gleam flashed beneath the surface of his appraising stare.<p>

Once inside of Sephiroth's apartment, Zack laid the unconscious man on the couch and finally took his eyes off of him to look around the room. He couldn't help but be in awe of the huge apartment. He lived in what was the equivalent of a dorm. Four men, including himself, sharing a room and a bathroom. More than once he had been in the shower and the bathroom door was rudely pulled open for someone to use the toilet… It made him fidget when another person was in the bathroom with him.

"So… We should probably check and see if he has any form of identification," Angeal sighed and scratched the back of his head. It only seemed like the logical thing to do, be he himself wasn't to keen on violating someone's space, no matter how pretty they were; Especially when he didn't know the person in question. Sephiroth hummed in agreement from the kitchen where he was laying the large sword on the marble countertop; But made no move to get closer to the blonde. Zack began to twiddle his thumbs nervously, he still wasn't used to the thought of reaching into another man's pockets.

"Oh for Godssake!" Genesis huffed before strolling over and leaning over Cloud. He began patting pockets to try and find anything useful; In the end all he found was an odd looking key. "Well, that was useful…" he growled softly. Through his frustration a mischievous spark flashed in his eyes. The redhead reached up and took hold of the zipper to the blonde's sweater. He hummed softly as he slowly pulled it down.

Zack, who had been watching Genesis lazily was now on full alert. He watched the zipper be drawn down with avid interest.

"Genesis! What the hell are you doing?" Angeal all but screamed when he realized what the copper haired man was up to. Zack nearly jumped over the couch in shock; Genesis went on unfazed.

"Angeal, you said it yourself he could be dangerous… I'm just making sure he doesn't have anything… Potentially deadly on him," the redhead smiled devilishly as he gently pulled the vest apart; Then he froze. Zack's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. Angeal and Sephiroth exchanged glances before moving forward to see the problem. Scars, all over the blonde's chest and torso. Some faded, some new; The one on his shoulder looked fairly new but was already stitching itself closed. An eerie sight indeed. The one that drew the most attention though was in the just below the man's chest, it wasn't very long but it was dipped in slightly more than the others.

Sephiroth let his curiosity get the better of him, and he moved forward to sit the man up. Something in him became, almost, giddy. He was morbidly fascinated to find that at least a third of the wounds had a twin on the man's back. He'd been impaled on something, several times by the looks of it. Sephiroth felt a wave of unfamiliar emotions run through him as he laid the blonde back down. Genesis had turned away, looking slightly ill. It seemed like their mystery man had been tortured, which only led him to suspect Hojo even more.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he had severe PTSD. From the looks of it he's been through a lot…" Angeal's voice was soft, and his hands were gentle as he reached forward and pulled the vest closed before zipping it back up.

"Do you think he was a POW?" Zack asked quietly, his eyes still glued to where the gruesome display had been. Genesis turned to look over his shoulder at the man. It wouldn't have surprised him if that was the case, but those scars looked deliberately patterened; Mostly precise cuts that revolved around vital areas of his body. How could a person do that to someone who looked so innocent? True he didn't know the man, but that hardly mattered.

"No. He seems to have been modified. I've seen scars like these on some of Hojo's… Pets…" Sephiroth's voice was dark and distant. The General was miles away from his body, lost in his own thought. Zack noticed and the faraway tone and looked up at Sephiroth to see a sympathetic look on the man's face.

"Hojo, do you think? Hollander doesn't do this sort of thing," Angeal centered his focus on the silver haired man's behavior before he drew his conclusion. Zack stiffened.

"Hojo? Like the guy who give all the SOLDIERs their Mako booster's and stuff? That Hojo?" That seemed to return Sephiroth to the present and he gave Zack a blatant look of 'duh-shit.' The Third got the message and lowered his eyes, looking everywhere but at the General.

"I think that much is obvious," The silver haired General sighed as he ran his eyes over the still body once again. "I don't recall ever seeing him though… And I believe I would remember his face if I had." Sephiroth felt his face heat up slightly, and found himself lucky that no one was looking at him.

"Maybe the key I found in his pocket is for a cell, or some kind of restraints…" Genesis pondered as he picked the odd looking thing up off of the table. He turned it over in his hand and examined it closely. 'FENRIR' was engraved across the top of the key. "Hm… It would certainly explain the wolf insignia on his shoulder," the redhead mused quietly. Project FENRIR perhaps? He looked up to find Zack watching him curiously.

"What?" the Third asked intelligibly making Genesis sigh and shake his head.

"The key says 'Fenrir' across the top of it. Perhaps it's the project name, or maybe even his name. It explains the wolf emblem on his outfit," Zack stared blankly at Genesis as the man explained himself. When Zack's face flushed slightly and he lowered his head Genesis knew something stupid was going to come out of the teenager's mouth.

"What's a 'Fenrir'?" Sephiroth groaned loudly at the boy's ignorance, and the sound of the General's frustration only made Genesis chuckle. The silver haired man cast a glare over to the redhead; He didn't bother to tell Genesis that Hojo had the demoralizing habit of naming his projects with a single letter… Dehumanizing his 'experiments' seemed to be a life long goal for the Professor.

"You should really brush up on your literature…" the redhead smiled at Zack's burning face. None of them had noticed Angeal disappear into the kitchen to examine the sword until it was suddenly too quiet in the room.

"You don't suppose he can actually wield this monstrosity of a sword, do you? I mean Sephiroth even said it's heavy," Angeal said loudly so that the other three could hear him. Sephiroth perked up a little, it had never occurred to him that the Professor might try and surpass his level of strength. The man had put so many chemicals into Sephiroth's system when he was young that it would be a great surprise if the silver haired man wasn't sterile.

"Possibly… But unlikely. Then again, I didn't see any drag marks on the ground to suggest that he had trouble carrying the blade. Hm…" the General turned and headed for the kitchen with Genesis and Zack in tow. Sephiroth approached the sword that lay heavily upon his counter. The shine of the blade couldn't hide the nicks and scratches on it, the fact that it was well worn. Well worn, but very well taken care of; Sephiroth held a deep respect for that, and he knew Angeal did as well.

"It's an awesome looking sword…" Zack muttered absently. Genesis snorted and Angeal rolled his eyes. The Third caught the motion and defended himself, "At least it looks like someone uses it. Yours is a hunk of scrap medal in comparison." Zack quickly slapped his hand over his mouth at Angeal's stunned expression. The kitchen was uncomfortably quiet as Genesis shifted away from the Third's side.

Angeal's mouth worked wordlessly to explain the importance of his sword, and what it represented, when Sephiroth abruptly picked up First Tsurugi and walked out of the kitchen. The man stopped short in the doorway, his body was facing the living room and his eyes were wide. A pair of exceedingly bright, but hazy, blue eyes stared into his own from the couch. A telltale SOLDIER glow resided in those eyes.

Genesis stood looking on as Angeal was doing a damn good job at impersonating a fish. Zack just looked terrified at what was going to come out of that mouth when the black haired First actually gained his voice back. The redhead laughed softly and turned to look back at Sephiroth, only to find the man frozen.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cloud stirred on the couch, his eyes squeezing shut and body tensing as he returned to the land of the living. His head was pounding, and he felt so disoriented that he was almost afraid to open his eyes. He knew that he had to find out where he was though, because his body entered it's 'fight or flight' mode; He remembered fighting Sephiroth… And then…

Mako blue eyes opened slowly, not really taking in his surroundings as he sat up. He didn't notice the lavished apartment around him, but he did however take notice to the green eyed man staring at him. He stared back at the man for a moment before recognition seeped into beautiful blue eyes. Not for the odd expression or lack of madness in those glowing green eyes, no only for the man himself. Sephiroth stood before him, holding First Tsurugi, which meant Cloud was unarmed; And yet the his flight instinct disappeared and only the fight was left.

Like lightning, Cloud was up and across the room; One hand quickly took the fusion sword's handle while his other came into contact with Sephiroth's face. The General flew through the kitchen past the other man and slammed into the far wall, completely destroying the cabinet. Cloud didn't see the other men though, his focus was solely on his enemy. The blonde was quick to separate the fusion sword into two pieces and charge the surprised man.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Genesis jumped at the sound of Cloud's fist colliding with the General's unsuspecting face. In the blink of an eye Sephiroth was gone and a loud crashing came from behind him. Angeal and Zack both stared on, completely forgetting their oncoming squabbling. The blonde quickly pulled his sword apart, much to their shock, and wielded it with practiced ease. The man charged Sephiroth faster than anyone could react.

The space was small, Cloud took notice to the lack of room to move his sword, and his decision to create more space went unsaid. He made a cross slash on the wall and kicked the rising silver haired man in square in the chest, sending him through the weakened wall and out of the building. Cloud was close behind him, leaping out the opening of his own free will.

The three man left in the half destroyed kitchen watched in stunned silence until Zack spoke up in a cracked voice, "What in the hell was that?" It snapped the other two men from their dazed state and spurred them to rush to the large hole in the wall to see if their friend was anywhere to be seen.

Sephiroth had caught onto one of the ledges and was evading the attacks as best as he could without a weapon; Hateful blue eyes glaring at him the entire time.

Angeal was first to recover and he ran into the living room to get Masamune from it's resting position in the corner near the door. He rushed out the door once the katana was in hand. Down, down, down; The flight numbers flew by as he ran down the stairs. He had to go down at least twenty floors.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Reeve sat doodling on his papers as the President droned on about this and that. He had been stuck in this meeting for close to an hour and hadn't been paying a bit of attention. No one ever asked him anything anyway, and boredom tended to get the best of the man. Little drawings of his newest toy-turned-spy-devise, Cait Sith, were all over the paper. Pictures of the little electronic cat shouting into a megaphone, pictures of it tangled in a yarn ball, and one off to the side of the little robot squatting in a litter box with a look on concentration on his little kitty face.

Tseng was sitting beside him, casting him odd glances every now and again. Reeve mused on Tseng being to young to be so serious and thought about trying to push a three day pass to Golden Saucer on the young man; But he was almost positive that the other would never accept it. He doubted that the SiC of the Turks had ever even seen a cartoon… Oh well.

Rufus sighed from across the table and caught Tseng and Reeve's attention , though Reeve didn't let on that he could see the silent exchange. He casually glanced to the side to see Tseng mouth the words 'I'm sorry.' at the young VP. Reeve almost wanted to laugh, he knew the two were close; Closer than they should be maybe, but they were still young. Far too young to be in their line of business.

A sigh escaped the older man as he set his pen down beside his paper and pinched the bridge of his nose. His mind was retreating into dangerous territory. Reeve would never admit that these meetings bored him to death, he would never admit that he enjoyed Saturday mornings because he had them off just so he could watch the cartoons in the morning; But one thing he would fess up to was that he admired young love, admired and envied it, and he could see it between Tseng and Rufus. They should have been out in the world, dating and having fun, instead they were crammed in the office with people ten and twenty years their seniors; Dealing with the cutthroat world of politics. He just wished the President would end the meeting.

"Something wrong Mr. Tuesti?" The President asked impatiently. All eyes fell on Reeve, suddenly making the man very self-conscious. He looked up at the large man sitting at the head of the table. Everyone was quietly waiting for him to answer, some smiling knowingly and others looking irritated at being held up further.

Something glinted, behind the portly man, out on the window's ledge. Reeve leaned to look around the President and gasped loudly, turning many peoples attention. Out on the windows ledge was the General, sans his weapon, trying to evade attacks from a blonde young man. Hojo quickly stood up but before he could made a step toward the window Angeal burst into the room and ran past him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The black haired First kicked out one of the many plated windows leading to the ledge. The President's face became dark as he watched on as his property was destroyed.

Sephiroth jumped back away from Cloud's immediate reach, and turned his attention to what he thought might be another threat. It turned out to be Angeal; Sephiroth felt like he could have kissed the man when Masamune was shoved into his hands. A quick, grateful half smile passed over the silver haired General's lips before he turned back to Cloud. The ledge between the two men was absolutely destroyed.

Sephiroth would have marveled at the destruction but before he could blink the blonde was on him, knocking him from the ledge and shattering the windows beside them, nearly hitting Angeal. The black haired First fell back and landed on his butt, scooting away from the broken windows. His eyes stayed on Cloud the entire time, watching the blonde willingly jump from the edge after Sephiroth.

"Hewley! What is going on?" the President yelled before anyone else could speak up. Angeal paled a bit as he turned to face the President. He could see Hojo standing behind the portly man, looking just as more curious than angry. He didn't seem to recognize the blonde warrior as one of his many 'pets'; Angeal's blue-gray eyes widened slightly, Hojo had no idea who the blonde was either… Sephiroth had seemed to want to keep the scientist as far from the blonde as possible, leaving the Honor bound man to feel torn.

The doors to the meeting room were still open from Angeal's rude entrance, nothing to stop Zack from bounding in and running to the window. Genesis followed, albeit much slower. The eager Third leaned carefully over the edge and looked down to see Sephiroth was still on the defensive. He had never seen the General fight, and now that he got to all the silver haired man was doing was blocking attacks to the best of his ability. It didn't even occur to him to question how the two men had survived the fall to the ground; His brain simply told him, 'That's what SOLDIERs do.'

"What is going on?" the President repeated loudly as he watched Zack practically vibrate with excitement. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why the young man was so energetic when Shin-Ra property was being destroyed. His eyes made the swift trip back to Angeal's nervous gaze.

"SOLDIERs at play, sir," came a smooth voice from behind him. He snarled loudly at the redhead that was standing in the doorway. Genesis remained calm, smirking slightly at the tension in the fat President's shoulders.

"Play? Play? My property is being destroyed, and you call it 'Play'?" he whipped around to face the redhead.

Genesis regarded the man with cold, blue eyes. Sending a shiver down the large man's spine; He nearly recoiled when Genesis became irritated looking, "Indeed, sir."

"I don't recall having any blonde SOLDIERs," Hojo said cryptically, never even turning to face the redhead. He despised both of Hollander's boys, they did nothing but distract Sephiroth from his work; And, the redhead never shut up about that damned fairy tail…

Zack bounced from one end of the room to the other before taking off out the door. He hit the stairs taking them two and three at a time. Angeal, not wanting to open his mouth just to lie over the situation followed suite and ran after the young Third; With a flutter of his red duster, Genesis followed after them without another word to the people of the meeting room.

When Zack and Angeal came out on the first floor, the younger man nearly collapsed. Almost sixty flights of stairs in ten minutes… It had to be a new record of sorts but he was far too excited to think about it. He stumbled after Angeal, hoping to see the rest of the fight; But when Masamune stuck into the ground beside him he very nearly made a hasty retreat back to the building, instead Zack yelped loudly and drew back at seeing his hero defeated. He and Angeal looked on as Sephiroth, who stood disarmed, was at the end of the fusion sword.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Something was wrong, Sephiroth hadn't tried to attack him at all. Cloud had even disarmed the man… Something was not right. The silver haired man stood at the end of First Tsurugi with wide, bewildered, and slightly excited, green eyes. Nothing was making sense and it only served to agitate the blonde haired hero.

Things around them were beginning to catch his attention though, and the first thing to catch his attention was how much his body hurt. Everything was sore, and he was breaking out into a cold sweat. Nothing was making sense.

"Sephiroth…" his voice was soft and somewhat sad, the man had been his childhood hero and again he had to wipe him from the face of the planet. But, something was different, there was no acknowledgement in those alien green eyes.

Sephiroth felt odd standing at the receiving end of such a battle. He was without equal and yet this man, who was smaller and more delicate looking than himself, had just handed him an annihilating loss. He stared into Mako brightened blue eyes and watched the fire in them slowly died as a flurry of emotions flickered through them; Hatred, anger, sorrow, pity, so many things, some he couldn't even read. Sadness was what remained the entire time however, the one emotion that never left those eyes. A shiver ran down his spine at the sound of the man's voice. It wasn't malice filled like the attack had led him to think it would be; No, this man seemed like he had lost something very dear to him.

"Yes?…" Sephiroth acknowledged quietly, not knowing what else to do. He saw the smaller man sway slightly, but otherwise, didn't move to put his blade away or finish off the silver haired General. Cloud gave him an odd look, one he had never seen before, then the blonde's facial muscles relaxed into something almost innocent looking and his head tilted to the side curiously. Cloud continued to watch Sephiroth warily as things began coming back to him, and he recalled seeing Zack and Aerith; Everything that had happened was quickly rushing to the forefront of his memory.

"You're not-?… Sephiroth…" His voice was unsure as he watch the man at the sharp end of his sword. He wasn't insane? This man, this Sephiroth, was not mad? He could feel his blade become heavy and his body screamed in protest at being woken in such a way. The tip of his sword hit the ground and he drew back a step, dragging the sharp side of First Tsurugi through the grass.

Cloud winced and brought up his left hand, which held the short blade, to press the heel of his hand to his temple. A high pitched whining sounded in his ears as his head was throbbing and his vision blurred. It hurt. He had never experienced anything so painful and it made his head spin. A noise beside him caught his attention and he turned unfocused blue eyes over to the two men watching them.

Sephiroth continued to watch him curiously, though still carefully. Something about the blonde seemed to draw him in. It gave him an odd feeling that he'd never quite felt before; Almost like a calling, luring him closer to the smaller man. He didn't dare move though, for fear of setting off the blonde, he simply stood where he was and studied the man with his eyes.

One of the men was large and he didn't recognize him, but he seemed familiar. His gaze flitted over to the smaller of the two and his eyes widened. Staring back at him was a pair of familiar, slightly duller, blue eyes. His savior stared back at him, but through a younger, more innocent face.

Zack's body moved on it's own as he made his way around Angeal's bulky frame. He watched Cloud sway slightly, watched the pain flash across those blue eyes. The blonde stood with a pained expression on his beautiful face, his hand pressed against his head, and his body slumped. His eyes were squinted from the effort it took to keep them open, but Zack could still see something akin to recognition in them. His whole body froze when the blonde opened his mouth, the man's voice was so quiet even his enhanced hearing didn't help. It was more of a breath than a word, but it sounded suspiciously like his name.

Sephiroth and Angeal both stiffened, leading him to assume that they had also heard the soft sound. All three watched as Cloud took half a step back and almost stumbled, Zack however was the only one that rushed forward to help him. He felt like he could have kicked himself, not knowing what he was thinking, but he couldn't stop himself from steadying the man once he got the swords away from him. Both blades laid heavily on the ground at their feet, but the blonde didn't seem to care that he had been disarmed; He simply watched the Third with wide eyes.

Zack was taller, but he could tell that he was younger than the shorter man. The look Cloud was giving him was close to awe, and it made his entire body tingle. Zack swallowed hard before taking the smaller man's arm over his shoulder and supporting more of the weight. Cloud's skin was cold against his own but the blonde was sweating heavily.

The moment was broken by Genesis' smooth voice, "We should probably get him out of here before anyone else sees him." Cloud started and squeezed Zack's shoulder, evoking a strange protective feeling from the black haired teenager. Something was definitely going on…


	4. Chapter 3

Cloud's existence in this new life will just that, new; Meaning, no one will know about him or anyone by the name of Cloud Strife. The reason will be added later, but this would be taking place during the duration of what would have been his life. The Lifestream did make alterations so that no one would suspect he didn't belong in the time, but it can't be responsible for snoops like Hojo. It seems like it would strain things more than anything if he were to be placed in a time before he was around. It would throw things off. So think of it as more of a shift to accommodate what is at first a small change, like a alternate/muted time line. People won't know any better, because they won't have known him. Only one Cloud is allowed, but you don't have to worry about a sudden disappearance. Hopefully you'll all be able to read between the lines for some of the suggestions. It will work out to make sense as the story goes on.

I hope that will clear up at least a little of the confusion. Thank you to the people (megpie71 and a few others) that let me know I needed to clear this detail up a bit more. It's actually important later on, but you'll know when it gets to that point.

Don't worry about me dropping the story, I plan on finishing anything I start. I really appreciate the continued support and the comments. They make me smile. And for those of you that enjoyed Reeve's little appearance in the last chapter, I'm really glad you liked it. I love Reeve, even if he is a manipulator, he totally needs more love.

I'm sorry if I didn't catch every mistake in this, a lot has been going on and my brain has developed a striking similarity to scrambled eggs... I can't seem to keep my mind on working at the moment.

EDIT 08/25/2011

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><p>Cloud gritted his teeth as his body refused to cooperate with him. He mumbled a quiet apology to Zack as the younger man hefted up more of Cloud's weight. Zack blushed softly and nodded. He felt strange, sneaking peeks at Zack when he knew the boy wasn't paying attention; He was young, younger than Cloud had ever seen him and it was just so odd for him to see his savior like this. Odd but slightly comforting, it was nice to know that he hadn't always been at the top and had earned his place.<p>

Everything was so different, this was years before he had joined Shin-Ra. He'd never actually ever met Angeal, but did hear Zack talk about him a lot… The man depended on his mentor even after the older man's death, he still looked to him for guidance. Cloud knew the feeling, he often did the same thing after Meteorfall; He would sit at the cliff overlooking Midgar, where he had unintentionally caused the death of the first real friend he had ever had, and ask Zack what should he do with the life he had been given.

His eyes flitted over to the Honorable SOLDIER his friend had so admired and to First Tsurugi's main body and smaller blade in his hands. He seemed to be having trouble toting the sword. Briefly the blonde wondered why the blade was heavy for the man, the fusion sword was much lighter now than it had been to begin with. The man seemed angry, the look on his face was one that Cloud had seen too many times for his liking. But he couldn't rightfully judge the expression because he didn't know the black haired First.

Informally, he had met Genesis, but at the time he had been comatose and only really remembered Zack talking about the man. His eyes snapped quickly from Angeal to the copper haired man before moving to the ground. Zack had called him a 'Condescending Ass' and a 'Glory Hound' once upon a time. Cloud could remember, but wasn't sure if it was Zack's memory or his own, seeing Genesis at the Mako reactor in Nibelheim. The man had been the reason for Sephiroth hiding away for days in the mansion's study. And speaking of Sephiroth, that wasn't even worth bringing up painful memories...

His eyes lowered once again when Zack glanced at him. The material of the uniform that his former friend wore was more blue than indigo, and Cloud knew it well. It was the outfit that he had yearned for when he was a teenager, the Third Class uniform. He had wanted to get into SOLDIER so badly. Sure, he had wanted to be a First but to just be SOLDIER would have been enough; But it had never happened, and it never would because of the knowledge that the blonde held.

His head began to spin and his body ached, his legs felt weak under his weight. Zack was making him walk toward the Shin-Ra building. Suddenly a high pitched whining was ringing in his ears, making his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth grind as he willed himself to move through the pain and unexpected weakness. The blonde had no idea where it was coming from or why. It felt like waking up from Mako poisoning.

Every step was agonizing, but Zack was there. Supporting him like he always had, and it made his eyes water. The thought of never being the man's equal was excruciatingly painful; It seemed like he would always be a burden to Zack, no matter how hard he tried. It was that thought that led him to a new resolution. If he was really in the past then there was nothing he could do about it but change things for the better. He had been through strange things before, though being sent back in time took the cake. But, even in the stress of the situation, his shoulders felt a little lighter. He was determined that he would be there for Zack, to try and protect him to the best of his ability, he owed the man his life and wanted so badly to do something in return.

Genesis led them to the stairs and stopped once they got up the first flight. There were no cameras in the stairwell, and no one took them except impatient First Class'; All of which were present, or rambunctious young SOLDIERs like Zack. When Genesis turned around to face the men behind him he took in Sephiroth's curious glances toward Cloud, it almost made the Crimson SOLDIER snort because the General's nose was still red from the punch the blonde had landed on his face. The angry red stood out against Sephiroth's pale features. To the General's credit he didn't seem to be holding the attack against the blonde, he just seemed curious as to what kind of man this stranger was and where he got this power.

"Well, now that we are away from prying eyes and ears. I suggest you start talking, my blonde friend," Genesis tore his eyes away from Sephiroth's battered face, to the man that Zack was supporting. His eyes traveled over the body that hid such immense power, he watched as Cloud looked up at him then back down to the floor. As he was in the midst of protesting Zack spoke up.

"Can't we let him sit down first, the poor guy must be tired," His eyes widened at the snappy tone of his voice. He never sound like that toward anyone. Who was this man, and what was he doing to him? "I-I mean… He can barely stand on his own now that he's not fighting…" he tried to justify his reaction to the others, and secretly himself.

Angeal, who had been quiet for some time, finally opened his mouth, "I think that's a good idea. We need to get Sephiroth cleaned up anyway." Sephiroth looked up quickly upon hearing his name, completely clueless as to what the others were talking about. He didn't feel he had been injured, when he gave Angeal a strange look the man pointed at his own face. Giving Sephiroth a hint, that brought back the memory the solid hit his face came to mind. As soon as everyone began to move up the stairs and took their focus off of him he reached up and touched his nose. It stung, and was bleeding slightly, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The adrenaline that was still flowing through his system easily masked most of what would have been a very painful busted nose.

They took the stairs up another two floors before getting on the elevator. If people were looking, it would be at the building's entrance not on the upper floors. The ride up was silent and Zack let Cloud lean against the wall. There was no point trying to hide from the camera on the ceiling, security would have seen them bring Cloud's unconscious body up the lift earlier. That though caused Sephiroth to pull out his phone and start sending something on it.

When they reached Sephiroth's apartment on the First Class Floor, he ushered them past the wrecked kitchen and toward his room where he could easily get into the bathroom and still hear what they were saying.

Zack helped Cloud on the edge of the bed and settled beside him. The teen leaned over with his elbows on his knees and watched the blonde. Genesis and Angeal stood on either side of the door and Sephiroth was in the bathroom just to the right of them looking in the mirror. Cloud's eyes traveled from one man to the next, but he remained silent; Not knowing what to say, or not to say. It was all so confusing, what could he tell them that wouldn't lead to disastrous results. His headache began to fade a little as he distracted himself with thoughts of what he could possibly say.

For all he knew this was a dream… Though he seriously doubted it for some reason or another. He though about the situation and decided that he would just try and go with it, he didn't have much of a choice; It was really the only thing he could think of. If it was a dream it wouldn't matter, and if it was real then maybe he wouldn't seem so suspicious. The blonde was far gone in thought.

"Perhaps that interrogation is in order…" Genesis said casually as he watched Cloud think to himself. Zack dropped his head but actually managed to keep himself from groaning at the man. Cloud looked between them with wide, curious blue eyes. They were going to interrogate him? Like some kind of terrorist?… Oh, the irony.

"You can start by telling us your name and how you got here," Angeal said calmly, clearly ignoring his friend's promiscuous intentions. Sephiroth returned to the room looking less like a domestic violence victim and more like the General of SOLDIER. His gloves were missing, probably to avoid dirtying them with the clean up. Cloud's stomach knotted nervously as he glanced up at the silver haired General, who's attention was on his muscular, black haired friend. Before Sephiroth could notice him looking, he turned his eyes away.

"Is it Fenrir?" Genesis asked as he remembered the key from earlier. Cloud perked up immediately at the mention of his beloved bike.

"How do you know about Fenrir?" his voice was low and soft, with a light accent, making the Crimson SOLDIER blink uncharacteristically. He couldn't place it but it was pleasing to his ears. Genesis hummed quietly in appreciation and walked out of the room to retrieve the key from the living room. Cloud blinked and for a moment wondered what happened. Angeal was staring at him, hard. The man didn't repeat himself, but it was clear that there was no way around it. And Sephiroth… Cloud didn't want to chance seeing a look of contempt in those green eyes he had admired so long ago.

Genesis returned and held up the key. "It says 'FENRIR'. So, what's it for?" he asked suspiciously. Cloud's eye became owlish as he stared at the key for his bike. Aerith had given him his sword and his bike? She had made sure that he was prepared in case he needed to get somewhere in a hurry, though she probably hadn't counted on him being unconscious for close to half an hour… Cloud resisted the urge to smile.

"It's for my motorcycle," he stated, plain and simple. Genesis looked a little confused but approached and handed him the key without further question. Cloud's aura wasn't one of a bad person, more gentle and sad than anything, but what was confusing was how this seemingly innocent man could dispatch the General of SOLDIER. Genesis continued to study the man silently while Zack caught the blonde's attention.

"Really? That must be awesome. Is it like the Shin-Ra issues? 'cause Shin-Ra's got some cool toys," Zack was talking animatedly and Cloud was just looking at him with a neutral face, it unnerved the boy slightly. He'd never know how hard the blonde was trying not to smile. The Third Class cleared his throat and calmed down but kept his charming smile in place.

"No, it's not a Shin-Ra issue… A friend of mine designed it for me, and I helped him build it," Cloud turned his eyes down to the key in his gloved hand as he spoke. Fenrir was something familiar. He smiled inwardly at the though of Reeve when he was hunched over his desk drawing out blue prints and making a list of parts. He'd even had to help the engineer build specialty parts for the beast of a bike. He still felt bad for threatened to kill the man when he joked about painting the bike Chocobo Gold with little Cait Siths all over it. Reeve had taken it in good humor and simply laughed at him.

"That's so cool. Did you have your sword custom made too?" Zack popped off another question before anyone else had the chance. Cloud couldn't help himself, a small smile and a chuckle escaped him as he nodded at the eager teen. Zack was as bright eyed and bushy tailed as ever and it left a pleasant warmth in his chest. Sephiroth cleared his throat, interrupting the Third's gushing.

"That still doesn't answer anything," the General's voice was smooth as he spoke, not showing an ounce of the curiosity that threatened to eat him from the inside out. The blonde suddenly looked very serious as he turned his attention to him. Something flickered behind those intense blue eyes when they settled on him. Sephiroth tilted his head slightly and waited for the man to speak.

"My name is Cloud. And… I think a friend brought me here," Cloud's voice was even, but inside he was nervous; It had been so long since he had seen Sephiroth in a sane state, but he knew that the man had an uncanny ability to sniff out lies. So, he told him part of the truth and left the rest up for the General to come to his own conclusions. Sephiroth's eyes scanned over him quickly, and didn't let on to anything traveling through his head. It didn't feel like Cloud was lying, and he showed none of the obvious or subtle signs of being dishonest. The General hummed in absent acknowledgement.

"Cloud… That's quite unique. Where do you hail from?" Genesis asked quietly as he mused to himself, but loud enough for enhanced ears to hear easily. Cloud adverted his eyes from the men in the room and waited for any snide comments they would throw his way. He could feel all four sets of eyes on him, and it reminded him of darker times; Being watched and prodded at by people that he didn't know or care to be around.

"From the Nibel Mountains," his voice was almost bitter sounding, he had never liked the town itself and the only reason he could think of to go back was to see his mother. Suddenly, the idea of seeing himself as a teenager came to mind. It wasn't something that Cloud wanted to humor, he wasn't even sure he wanted to see the woman that he could barely remember either…

"Where's that? Are there more people there that look like you?" Zack asked curiously, his eyes roaming over Cloud absently. People in Gongaga usually had dark hair and tan skin, so his curiosity was piqued. Genesis snorted at Zack's forwardness, Angeal and Sephiroth simply shook their heads disapprovingly at the boy's manners or lack there of. The raven haired Third hadn't meant anything rude by it, and Cloud knew how Zack was.

"It's on the Western Continent, close to the island that Wutia is on. And as far as I remember, there was one other person, but I haven't been there for a long time. So I don't really know," Cloud shocked himself by speaking for so long. As far as he could tell he had told the truth every time thus far, though he was leaving it vague; Letting them make their own assumptions for the fine details. Zack seemed to be satisfied with the answer and looked thoughtful. Cloud glanced to the side, watching the boy think over the information. Exceedingly blue eyes flickered past Zack and glanced at Sephiroth in an almost shy manner, the blonde wanted to kick himself; But being around his friend after what felt like an eternity was making him feel more and more like the awkward teenager that he had been way back when. Not to mention Sephiroth was actually the General, instead of the power crazed psychopath that had razed Nibelheim to the ground. Cloud couldn't remember his first meeting with the silver haired man very well, but he knew it was never like this… Sephiroth had never showed an interest in him or his past.

"So that's where that lovely accent comes from…" Genesis thought out loud, his teal eyes widened when he realized that the words had slipped from his mouth. Cloud was staring at him with wide eyes, clearly confused. There was an awkward silence in the room for a long moment before Angeal decided to save his childhood friend from further embarrassment.

The burly First wasn't sure what to think of the blonde. They had all seen how vulnerable he was earlier, they had seen the state of his body… It was obvious that something serious had happened to the man. He felt bad for prying, but it had to be done to know if they could trust the man.

"So Cloud, where did you get that kind of strength? I don't think I've ever seen anyone fight Sephiroth so confidently, let alone completely overtake him like that," Sephiroth scowled at Angeal, who simply smirked at him. Cloud's eyes finally left Genesis' to look the Honorable SOLDIER in the eyes briefly before he turned his gaze to the floor. His mind reeled for a moment at how similar the question was to the ones that Sephiroth had asked him in their fight. But, how was he suppose to answer that? He couldn't tell them that he had Sephiroth's cells in his body or of Hojo's many other augmentations to his strength, speed and stamina… Thinking on that though made a nagging feeling come to mind, something about having Sephiroth's cells was important. A dull buzzing in his ears distracted him from any further thought on it. His headache was coming back.

"I was exposed to high dosages of Mako as a teenager, and later on I was exposed to the raw energy of the Lifestream," he left out the fact that he had been in said high dosages of Mako for years. Then he shook his head before anyone could say anything, "And before you ask, I don't know how I lived through it… My body was highly capable of absorbing large amounts of Mako, but I was also susceptible to Mako poisoning. Which I've had on more than one occasion but, I had friends who took care of me while I was incapable of caring for myself. That's all I really know about the situation." His eyes stayed on the floor as he admitted to becoming an invalid because of the poisoning. It was almost worse than being dead, especially when he thought of the burden he had put on others; But his friends were unwilling to let him die, they protected him and pulled him back from the darkest parts of his mind and forced him to carry on.

Blue eyes watered slightly as he thought back on his reunion with Zack in the Lifestream. He had cried. No, he had broken down in front of his savior. The thought of his weakness sickened him a little, but he truly felt like he had failed the man that had given up everything to save him.

"Whoa, hold on. Time out… The Lifestream? Like THE Lifestream?" Zack's eyes widened dramatically, causing the three First Class' in the room to groan. Cloud looked around at the three men sending the young Third absurd looks.

"Unless you know of a different Lifestream; I'd think that the answer would be obvious Zackary," Sephiroth muttered, but he couldn't hide the slight amusement in his voice. Green eyes traveled to Cloud's Mako enhanced blue ones, looking for any sign that the blonde was lying but he found none, "So, tell me Cloud, is all that nonsense about the Planet true? Does it speak to those who are unfortunate enough to have plunged into the insanity that the Lifestream induces?" Cloud watched Sephiroth closely, unable to tell if the man was mocking him or actually serious. So he did the only thing he could think of and dismissed the silver haired man; He couldn't exactly tell him that he had communicated with the dead on far more than one occasion. The blonde sighed heavily and looked away from the General. Sephiroth would never understand what the former World Savior had been through…

"I'm not asking you to believe me, I'm just telling you the truth. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you," Cloud shrugged one shoulder and glanced at Sephiroth just in time to see the man stiffen slightly. The General stood rigid as he scrutinized the blonde.

"Is that why you attacked Sephiroth?" Genesis voiced the question that was on Angeal's mind. He didn't doubt as freely as the silver haired General, nor did he fully accept it; He merely humored the idea as a possibility. Cloud's head snapped over to him quickly and blue eyes held such honesty that it would have convinced a more trusting man in an instant.

"No, I was disoriented… And when I saw him with my sword, I panicked," Cloud admitted in a quiet voice, as he lowered his head. It wasn't exactly a lie; It just wasn't a whole truth either, but the blonde had a feeling that he was going to have to get used to such things. Cloud had almost forgotten about Angeal, until the man spoke up.

"You know, I think I believe him," the black haired First said softly, without a hint of uncertainty. Zack nodded and smiled reassuringly when Cloud looked at him. The blonde let a small smile show on his face, not one of triumph like someone would if they were trying to get away with a lie; No, it was genuine and soft. It made Zack's breath catch slightly as a memory of a similar smile came to mind, but the one he thought of was easier to coax out. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, or an actual memory though.

"Well… I've always trusted Angeal's judgment… And I admit your story does pique my interest. I'll say I believe you until someone proves otherwise," Genesis said with a shrug. He seemed indifferent, but as Cloud turned to him he saw a soft smile on the Crimson SOLDIER's face. Sephiroth was still staring at the blonde, looking for any sign of fault. Either he was a very convincing liar or he was telling the truth, and the silver haired man wasn't like Angeal; The black haired First could read people like a book. So, he surrendered and decided to trust his longtime friend.

"We still have one small issue gentlemen. A staff of high ranking executives saw us fighting on a ledge forty stories above ground level… Hojo will no doubt be intrigued by this. And the President may be furious with the damages the building suffered. How are we going to explain that without having Cloud thrown in prison for attacking a military Personnel?" Sephiroth said Cloud's name awkwardly, unused to using the first name of someone he had only just met. But the blonde hadn't given him a last name, so it was possible that he didn't have one; Much like Sephiroth himself. Alien green eyes locked with Mako infused blue and something inside of him made him feel drawn to this man. Sephiroth thought for a long moment, as did Genesis. The General knew that Angeal had trouble lying to anyone, it was a surprise when he perked up and looked toward the silver haired man.

"I don't know… It's not like we can say that he's SOLDIER…" Angeal spoke cautiously as he eyed the General then Cloud. Beside the blonde, Zack bounced a little on the bed effectively catching his attention.

"Why don't we get him into SOLDIER?" the teenager asked him curiously. Cloud cut in before anyone else had the chance to open their mouth. Though he did so with a heavy heart, it was his childhood dream he was turning down; But he knew he was no longer a child, and such things could never come to be. After the horrors he had witnessed he knew the truth of what the organization really was, and it had killed him a little inside when he was actually glad that he had never actually made it.

"No. I won't sign my body over to Hojo… I know what he does, and I'll be no part of it," Cloud's voice was quiet but full of malice at the mention of his tormenter. He wasn't going to allow anyone to do that to himself, or Zack for that matter, ever in this new life.

Sephiroth cocked his head slightly as he stared at Cloud. He knew what Hojo did? How? Hojo was one of the most paranoid people Sephiroth had ever had the displeasure of knowing, he didn't just hand out pamphlets on what his work was and how he went about it. The only people that knew about how he did things were the lab techs and the experiments themselves. Interesting…

When Zack opened his mouth to protest it clicked back shut when Cloud shook his head at him, "A close friend once told me, 'SOLDIER is a den of monsters.' And that I needed to stay out of it. I know what Hojo and Hollander do. Even though I somewhat disagree with it, I have to honor him somehow." The blonde's fair skin flushed a bit as he quickly turned his head from Zack; Leaving the boy confused, but thinking on his words.

"It's not far from the truth actually," Genesis said quietly, his teal eyes turned away from the rooms occupants. But what the blushing blonde said next snapped him out of the oncoming bout of spiraling depression and drama.

"I still don't completely agree with it, you guys are heroes to the people and embody what SOLDIER is suppose to be," Cloud's knew what it was like to be a 'hero to the people'. But in all fairness, he had been a terrorist for the people before he did anything that would make him something to them. They went from hating to loving, just because he had saved their pathetic lives. The blonde was uncomfortable with all of the attention, but he was a modest mountain boy; Who just so happen to absorb the memories and personality of his best friend and savior.

All three Firsts were quiet, making Zack anxious and Cloud became a little redder. He'd never told Zack that was how he had seen him when they had met. He had been the soul that drove so many people in SOLDIER. Sure he'd told him that he admired him, especially after his speech when he was promoted to First, but he had never told the man that he was everything a SOLDIER should have been.

Sephiroth was shocked to hear such a thing said out loud. People often avoided talking to him, and simply watched from a safe distance, afraid to speak for fear of being cut down by the 'Ruthless' General. He had heard them compliment his combat skills, but never at such a level. His body seemed to sing at the praise and begged him to get closer to, and maybe even get to touch, the blond again. It was a strange feeling that threatened to consume him.

Every man in the room jumped when they heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"I'm coming in," Tseng announced as he was opening the door, not giving them any other warning. He carried himself with all of the grace and ease of an experienced Turk, even with his young age. His eyes swept the room once and then settled on Cloud. The blonde hated the Turk's version of a once over. It was unnerving and made him irritated beyond words. Reno had been especially bad about doing such things, always trying to size him up or randomly trying to ambush him. Silly Turk…

"I don't know who you are, but the President wishes to see you," Tseng didn't have to say 'demands to see you.' Because Cloud already knew how the fat man worked. He never asked or wished for anything, he took and demanded it. Tseng's brown eyes scanned him once more then turned to Sephiroth, "I don't know what you think your doing Sephiroth…" He glanced over at Cloud, making sure the man was still sitting there, "But, it must be important somehow if you let the man that assaulted you into your home after that little display." Tseng's voice dropped sharply, to a hushed whisper, "I will warn you though, another stunt like that and my fellow Turks and I will not hesitate to eliminate the source of the disturbance…" The Turk straightened his suit and Cloud saw something unreadable flicker behind Tseng's calm gaze.

The blonde rose from the edge of the bed and nodded at the Wutian man. Cloud would never let it show that he was a bit apprehensive about meeting Rufus' father. He kept telling himself to go with it, but it was getting harder to fool himself into thinking that he was calm over the situation.

"Come gentlemen. He's expecting you, and he doesn't enjoy waiting for SOLDIERs that dally about," the Turk turned to lead them to the board room, obviously he was playing babysitter and making sure that all parties involved attended. Cloud hurried after Tseng and didn't bother to look back at the others, he knew that they would follow; Their jobs depended on it. The blonde thought back to his early days in Shin-Ra and the fiasco with the original AVALANCHE. The Ravens, and meeting some of the Turks that ended up disappearing. He recalled Zack's memories of speaking with Reno over the situation. The redhead would be a good ally if his loyalties were gained early.

"Do you have a Turk named Reno?" Cloud asked quietly as he stood beside the Turk. Tseng glanced at the blonde from the corner of his eye, but refused to speak. The Wutian man wondered just how much this stranger knew… He'd been scouting Reno and keeping tabs on him for some time. Cloud's eyes stayed on the elevator doors as he waited. The Turk decided to try and use this in his favor.

"What would you know about Reno?" Tseng's smooth voice held no indication of curiosity or suspicion, but the question alone told Cloud all he needed to know. His memories, combined with those he had absorbed from Zack, were enough to help him read at least some of their motives.

"Mm. So, he's not a Turk yet?" the blonde sighed and crossed his arms, his eyes drifted to the digital display above the elevator door. Tseng regarded the man with a masked curiosity. Yet? Did this man have ties to Reno? Was he close enough to know that the redheaded Second Class was in fact interested in Tseng's offer? Cloud didn't seem to catch the implication that his words left. Zack and the others finally approached and stood behind them, talking amongst themselves.

"I'm just saying that I've never been there, let alone seen snow… Have you Genesis?" the black haired Third questioned incredulously. Genesis eyed Zack with an annoyed expression. He'd never admit to the puppy that he had never seen snow either, he hated the cold so naturally he stayed away from excessively cold areas. Angeal and Sephiroth knew this, but they also knew better than to call him out on what he was about to say.

"Of course I have, what SOLDIER hasn't seen snow?" the copper haired SOLDIER replied snappily. The elevator finally dinged softly and the doors opened. Genesis wasted no time pushing past Tseng and Cloud to get into the elevator first. The Turk scowled at the immature First Class before getting into the elevator, the others followed suit.

The ride up down was quiet. Tseng would glance at Cloud every so often, but never directly. The blonde didn't seem like a threat, but one could never be sure; And after seeing him throw Sephiroth from the window ledge the Turk was extremely wary of this new man.

When the lift stopped and the doors opened the little group followed the Turk SiC to the board room. Upon arriving they were greeted by a man in a Turk uniform. He was an older man with a scar on his left cheek, and there was something slightly off about the way he was standing; His arms were behind his and his feet were spread to the length of his shoulders, oddly enough most Turks did this when waiting. It was eerily similar to the parade rest form that SOLDIERs fell into the habit of doing. Cloud gave him a curious look but continued to follow after Tseng.

"Veld," Sephiroth greeted the man and nodded as he passed. Cloud froze and looked back at the Turk. He'd known that the man looked familiar, he was the Turk's leader before Tseng.

"Sephiroth," The man's greeting was short and somewhat cold. The blonde didn't have long to think on it, President Shinra bellowed at the men to enter. He turned and cautiously walked into the meeting room. The portly President was glaring at them when they walked in, beside him sat Rufus. The younger Shinra seemed bored and completely disinterested in the current happenings.

The fat man looked into Cloud's eyes before giving him a once over. The blonde warrior could just imagine the President was thinking of a way to make him pay for the damage he had caused.

"Care to explain young man?" The older Shinra's voice was rough and irritated. Cloud opened his mouth to attempt to defend himself.

Before he could say a word, Sephiroth spoke up, "He's a mercenary. I was testing him." All eyes turned to the stoic man as his deep voice defended the blonde in question. The President seemed surprised, but suspicious.

His large frame leaned back in the chair as he gave his general a disbelieving look, "Testing him? We're on the fortieth floor… And the wall to your kitchen is gone. Yes, the Turk's told me about the clear view into your apartment from the other building. Care to explain," the large man's voice was full of irritation now.

"Sir, if I didn't trust this man would I have let him back into my home?" Sephiroth's voice had an icy edge to it, daring the man to challenge him. As far as the large man was concerned he owned the General, and this behavior was unacceptable.

"I don't recall approving a mercenary to be hired," the President shot back, trying to sound just as cold; But Sephiroth had perfected the behavior to an art form and just arched an eyebrow at the man.

"Do you have any idea how many Firsts are called out to take care of monster extermination? We are trying to deal with a terrorist organization, and I need as many of my men free as I can get. I'm doing you a favor with this Mister President," with unseen hesitation, he lifted a hand and rested it on Cloud's shoulder. A convincing gesture for those that knew how much he detested being in contact with others.

A pleasant feeling traveled through him and he felt the urge to seek further reason to get closer to the smaller man. His body urged him to gain more contact, and become as close as possible. His hand was simply resting on the fabric of Cloud's vest, he could feel the other man's warmth through the slight layer of clothing, and he had to resist the nagging urge to get his hand beneath the material to make skin-to-skin contact with the blonde. With some trouble, he pushed the thought aside to think on later.

"Sir, I saw this man's potential to take care of that business. It's an advantage for you as well. More SOLDIERs freed of menial tasks means you have better protection here at headquarters," Sephiroth finished confidently. His ungloved hand unconsciously squeezed Cloud's shoulder, making the blonde tense.

Sephiroth was defending him, it seemed so bizarre. He found himself at a loss for words, and having difficulty thinking. Something was odd about the touch, it was distracting and he could feeling a familiar pull that he hadn't felt in what seemed to be a long time. He pondered on it for only a moment before a word came to mind, it sent chills down his spine and made him feel feverish at the same time, 'Reunion'. Both of them had Jenova's cells, as well as Sephiroth's, their bodies were calling each other; Begging to be brought back together. The thought alone made him shift uncomfortably.

"Th-Then how do you explain the destroyed apartment?" The large man questioned again, not willing to let the blonde off the hook.

To everyone's surprise Genesis spoke up, "SOLDIERs at play." The Crimson SOLDIER repeated his earlier statement. His voice held such dark amusement that it sent a chill down the older Shinra's back. The President looked from Genesis to Sephiroth, and from him turned his eyes to Cloud. The blonde hadn't spoken for himself the entire time. But the General had defended him, what reason would he have to lie to him.

"Mm… Fine, but he's to be placed under probation for six months. He is to stay on the grounds of headquarters and he will be working for free until the damages are paid off. Since your so keen on keeping him around he'll be staying with you General. Now all of you get out," the large man snapped, irritated that he was made to look a fool in front of his son, the Turks and Sephiroth's little following of Firsts.


	5. Chapter 4

My apologize for the wait. Life is unkind...

This chapter has been a royal pain and I can't stand to work on it any longer, so I'm moving to the next one. I will eventually come back to it, like all the others, and fix it up. Presently however, I am moving on. I'm working on a Oneshot, that will hopefully stay a Oneshot, and Chapter 5. Hopefully the wait won't be this long again; I've had a lot of things going on and though I had time to write I couldn't take my mind off of the problems, so this chapter is quite sloppy... I am sorry, and I will fix it... Just not now.

I appreciate everyone reading, following, favoriting and commenting. You guys make me smile. ^_^

EDIT 08/25/2011 - Feeling a better about this chapter now. All of the reviews were motivating, but a special thanks to 'Write-Handed Backstabber'. The review motivated me to sit down and fix things so that the chapter is more to my liking.

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><p>Cloud was speechless; He had to live with Sephiroth for six months?… His mind kept replaying the President's words.<p>

Sephiroth seemed to notice Cloud's unresponsive behavior, and physically turned the blonde around and walked him out the door. He casually threw a 'Thank you, sir.' over his shoulder as he exited the large room. Outside Veld stood where he had been when they walked in. The Turk watched on as SOLDIER's prized General approached him, briefly his eyes flickered to Cloud but they didn't stay for long. The silver haired SOLDIER maintained a friendly contact with the blonde, like they had known each other for years; Because that in itself was the only way to get close enough to touch the General without one losing one's hand, and it was another thing entirely to have him initiate contact.

"I do hope you know what you're doing. You may have been able to talk your way around the President, but we Turks can pick out every little fault in that story of yours," he sighed heavily and shook his head. "I did you a favor, don't expect another one," and after saying his piece the man turned to leave. Cloud's hand shot out and quickly seized his wrist, preventing him from going any farther. Slowly, he turned and looked at the blonde; He could see something akin to sympathy and sadness in those unnatural blue eyes. After a moment his hand was released, but the look didn't fade.

"Sorry… You look like someone, I… Never mind, I'm sorry." The Turks watched as the blonde lowered his head. Cloud had never met Veld, but he remembered bits and pieces of events concerning him. Most of the memories were Zack's, but it didn't stop him from using them to help others though. He knew he couldn't outright tell him about AVALANCHE and his daughter, he'd have to find some way to do that without drawing too much attention to himself.

Veld gave the young blonde a long look before smiling a bit, "It's fine." There was something about the look in Cloud's eyes that puzzled the Turk. Almost like a message he was trying to convey… He dismissed it for the time being, and left.

Sephiroth arched an eyebrow at the blonde. Interesting…

Zack bounced up beside them and watched Veld head for the elevator. Sephiroth gave the excitable Third an annoyed look before he began to steer Cloud to the stairs. The blonde seemed to be deep in thought, on autopilot almost. SOLDIER's General would never guess that the man was trying to hide information that was highly classified, that he shouldn't even know or have to keep a secret in the first place.

Even through all the excitement of the morning, seeing as it was just past nine thirty, Sephiroth knew he would have work waiting for him in his office. The stairs would be quicker than waiting for the elevator to come back from wherever Veld had taken it, and it was just two floors down. With Cloud so spaced out he might have a little trouble getting the man down the stairs, but if it came down to it he could always carry the smaller man. Briefly, he could think of nothing but pale skin flushed with embarrassment and bright blue eyes pleading with him. Sephiroth mused silently to himself, an unnoticed shiver ran up his spine and an odd look took up residence on his face the entire time. Genesis noticed this and became slightly disturbed, his silver haired rival had a darkened expression; Not one of ill intent, so much as one of perversion.

Zack, being a naturally friendly person, reached up and brushed his gloved fingers over Cloud's sleeved arm; Causing the blonde to jump and break both his and Sephiroth's trance like states. His Mako blue eyes snapped to the black haired teenager. Zack grinned and gave him a thumbs up, "Welcome to Shin-Ra, well sorta… Hey, let's spar together sometime, I'd like to learn some of those moves of yours… If you'll let me…" The boy went from excited to somewhat embarrassed for assuming Cloud would want to teach him. After being turned down by Angeal so many times he was beginning to lose faith in finding a mentor that would have the skill level he wanted.

Cloud stared at Zack with wide blue eyes, the situation was ironic really, because most of his moves were stylized and derived from Zack's own style of fighting. A certain pride welled in his chest though, Zack wanted to spar with him; Wanted to learn from him. A full blown, genuine smile lit up Cloud's light features. Since Sephiroth was behind the man he couldn't see the rare, and stunning display that so few witnessed. But he could see the awe on the faces of his fellow First's and the young Third. Cloud's voice was soft with an amused edge, "Of course, I don't think I'll have much else to do. It would be an honor."

Zack mentally shook himself after hearing Cloud agree. "What?… Really? That's so cool," he grinned as he took a step toward Cloud before taking two back away. For some reason he found himself wanting to hug the blonde man, it was a strange feeling; Wanting to be close to someone that he didn't know. But it almost seemed like he did know the man, maybe in a past life or something… "I've gotta go patrol the slums with a friend of mine, so is tomorrow okay?" Zack watched Cloud as he started backing away from the blonde, when the man nodded at the him Zack's grin only widened. Cloud's smile was no longer so open, it was small and conserved; But still stunning in its own way. "I have a feeling we're gonna be good friends Cloud," the boy said before finally turning fully and heading for the elevator while pulling his phone out.

"Oh! Duh," the boy smacked his palm toward his forehead and hollered back to the blonde, "My name is Zack." Cloud's ears picked up something that was mumbled afterwards, and it sounded suspiciously along the lines of, 'I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself... Ma'd slap me silly if she found out...'

Cloud watched him shift from foot to foot as he waiting for the elevator to come back. He'd keyed in a number before placing the mobile to his ear. "Come Cloud." Sephiroth's deep voice all but ordered as he pulled the blonde toward the stairs. An almost unnoticed shiver ran up the Cloud's frame, though Genesis was the only one to notice it. Sephiroth was clearly irritated, about what the blonde was clueless; But he heard Angeal clear his throat and Genesis snicker, making the silver haired man's muscles loosen a bit.

Right as he was passing the doorway to the stair well he heard Zack's voice, talking on his mobile phone most likely. "…Course I'm on my way Reno, I wouldn't make you…" The door closed heavily behind him cutting off any further eavesdropping.

"My kitchen is in shambles… So, while it is being fixed you might as well sit in my office with me until it is done," Sephiroth's voice was still a bit tense and his hand was still on Cloud's shoulder, but his posture was more relaxed. The blonde was just realizing how long it had been there, and wondered if the man had forgotten about it. At the same time the question of his mood floated through his head. He hadn't known Sephiroth at all before the Nibelheim incident, and even when he had been briefed before leaving for Nibelheim he'd only met his former idol briefly.

"Getting irritated with him won't do you any good Sephiroth. He may be a puppy but he's still a Third and fast rising in the ranks, hell he may even make it to First; Goddess forbid… What are you going to do then?" Genesis asked snippily. The silver haired man didn't even spare him a side glance as he continued to lead Cloud down the steps. Sephiroth was irritated with Zack?

"He won't make it," the General clipped, convinced that the boy didn't have the potential. And if he did it would only be by a hair. Cloud bristled slightly at the confidence in the man's voice. The blonde knew that Zack could make it on his own, but a little boost in that direction couldn't hurt.

Angeal and Genesis exchanged a look that Cloud couldn't easily read. It seemed to be a look of disbelief but he couldn't quite tell. Sephiroth pushed on and everyone was quiet until they made it to the General's office. "We'll see you Sephiroth, you may have gotten a work out this morning, but we didn't. We'll be in the VR training room if you need either one of us," Angeal told the silver haired man before he continued down the hallway.

"Mm. Don't scare him off Mr. Hero," Genesis said lightly before following Angeal. Both Sephiroth and Cloud looked up quickly and uttered unintelligent and unattractive, 'Huh?' Sephiroth's response was from the red head's meaning; Cloud's was out of habit, from being called a 'Hero' for so long.

Blue eyes stared after Genesis, wondering what he could mean. After a moment he realized that it hadn't been directed at him, it was at Sephiroth. He turned a little and eyed the silver haired General. Sephiroth turned his attention back to opening the door, though he was grumbling quietly all the while. If he wasn't suck a quiet man, Cloud would have laughed at the idea of an annoyed Sephiroth.

The door hissed open a moment after his key card was slid through the panel mounted beside it. Green eyes glanced over at him and regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "Come." Sephiroth's voice was low and smooth as silk, almost to the point that one could misinterpret the meaning of the word. Cloud had had many propositions for bed partners thrown in his face over his lifetime, before and after Meteorfall; Never had he though The SOLDIER General would speak to him in such a way. Though he knew what he meant, the thought that Sephiroth might be interested remained in the front of his mind.

After a few seconds Cloud noticed that the silver haired man was waiting for him to enter first, apparently he didn't quite trust the blonde. Honestly that was just fine with Cloud, he didn't trust Sephiroth very much either but the difference was that the blonde was willing to compromise. The waiting seemed like a polite gesture, but Cloud knew that he just didn't want his back exposed to an enemy; Whether they were armed or not. With a quiet sigh he humored the man and moved into the office first.

"Can you cook?" Sephiroth asked as he stepped into the room and the door slid closed behind him. The blonde quirked an eyebrow at him. The question seemed to come out of nowhere and had taken him by surprise; Not so much the question, but the fact that it was Sephiroth asking it.

"Hn?" the blonde grunted questioningly. Cook?

Sephiroth stared, alien green eyes felt like they were burning into his skin, "We will be living together, and that means the chores shall be split. So, can you cook?"

"Um… You probably wouldn't like it if I did…" the blonde mumbled quietly. He could cook, but didn't know how to make anything 'normal'. It was really the only thing that he could remember learning from his mother when he was young. Marlene had told him that she wouldn't eat when he cooked because she was afraid of what he'd put in the food. It was hardly his fault that he had grown up eating things like Mutton and pickled vegetables. Denzel had almost cried when he found out he had eaten lamb, and after that Cloud hadn't cooked again. He didn't even want to think about Barret's reaction to finding him in the kitchen boiling pig trotters.

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth gestured toward the chair in front of his desk and waited for the blonde to sit. Once Cloud was seated he moved around him to sit behind his desk. "Why would I not like it?" he asked quietly as he tore his eyes from the blonde and began to rummage through one of the drawers of his desk. Admittedly he had eaten a fair amount of food that he disliked, but what made the blonde so sure…

"The things I can make are… Not what people would normally eat." Cloud answered in slight embarrassment. He had grown up poor and unlike Tifa, who's father could afford beef and pork, he had learned to make due with what was available. Tifa questioned him about it when she discovered that he had made lamb for the children. She had asked him what had possessed him to go out and kill something so young and defenseless. When he just stared blankly at her she became irritated and in the most exasperated tone he had ever heard, told him that she would never understand him.

He had gotten the young sheep from an old woman when he made a delivery through the mountains. Having grown up eating it, it hadn't bothered him. Not wanting to waste anything that went uncooked during his time on the road, he had brought it home. Tifa herself had nominated him to cook dinner… The woman's burgundy eye had watched him as he shifted nervously and glanced down at the bowl in front of him that he had been eating from before the busty barmaid had come in interrogating him. Her gaze followed his and she had paled slightly, then continued on to ask him if he was still eating the poor little creature, he hadn't answered. She had become even more irritated and asked him how he could sleep at night knowing that he had killed an innocent baby lamb. Then he had become irritated with the constant nagging and snapped at her, telling her how he'd gotten them and that he wasn't going to waste it and have let them die for no reason. The barmaid had closed her mouth with a click and she hadn't brought it up again.

She wouldn't understand. Her father had had a lot of extra money to throw around because he was the mayor. She had gotten the best since she was a child, and so had her little entourage of friends. No one in town had wanted to hire his mother because she had a child out of wedlock and they questioned her morals because of it. His father had left right after he was born, because he couldn't handle being a parent, and he hadn't come back. His mother had struggled to keep them fed, they never bought food because they didn't have the money; So, he had to learn how to help clean fish and small animals before cooking them.

"I suppose that means that we will be eating in the Cafeteria or ordering in." The silver haired man sighed, not wanting to prod further on the matter. He didn't want to end up with a roasted Cactaur in front of him just so Cloud could make a point. Sephiroth knew that Cactaur were edible but it took a ridiculous amount of preparation. The thought wasn't at all appetizing.

"So Cloud…" Sephiroth's smooth voice sounded slightly distant, it was deafeningly quiet in the room. He finally pulled a pair of, what looked like, new leather gloves out of his desk drawer. Green eyes returned to the blonde as he pulled the gloves onto his hands, "I have experienced first hand that you have the ability to hold your own in a battle, and win if you are not interrupted. What do you think of this position as Shin-Ra's private mercenary?"

"It's nothing that I haven't done before," Cloud said quietly but he could tell that Sephiroth was trying to fill the awkward silence that hung in the air around them. "But, it still gives me a feeling of déjà vu…" though fighting was the furthest thing from his mind. Being reminded only caused a feeling of exhaustion to claw it's way to the surface; The Mako and foreign cells in his body had been calming down, that in itself was revealing the fatigue he had felt when he'd woken up.

The General grunted in response while picking up a small stack of grey folders from the side of his desk. Cloud watched, only half interested in what was going on. The blonde could almost feel his body mourning for the adrenaline it had been supplied with during his earlier fight. His eyes followed Sephiroth's hands as the men picked up a pen and began flipping through papers. His mind drifted as he watched the man make small marks on the paper every now and again before he turned the page. Blue eyes traveled up to the General's face, it was calm and focused; Nothing like the Sephiroth the Cloud had fought, or the Sephiroth that was in his nightmares. Nothing at all…

Cloud slouch back in his seat, he didn't know what to do. His brain was obviously overworked if he was thinking Sephiroth wasn't such a bad man… But then, Cloud really had never known the 'real' Sephiroth. It was all so confusing and he barely restrained himself from groaning.

The silver haired man could feel Cloud's inner debate from where he was sitting, could almost smell the man's nerves fraying. It was a strange feeling and made him uncomfortable enough to glance up at the blonde for a moment. He took in the slouched position in the chair and the arms folded over his stomach, the position itself told him that the man was tired. Or more like, had crashed from the high of battle. Green eyes moved back down to the report the was reading and his brain went on autopilot again; Jotting down notes in the margin to remind himself to ask about details that were vague or contradicting.

"So… Six months…" Cloud said tiredly. He was grateful that Sephiroth had put himself on the line like that, but part of him was suspicious of the General's intentions. What would he gain from this? A puzzle to solve in his spare time? Would he torture him with an endless cycle of battle like last time? Or… Blue eyes flitted to the powerful man, sitting slouched over a document. One gloved hand pushed up into his hair, pushing it out of his face and the other held a pen; Poised and ready to sign wherever his signature needed to be. He didn't look the least bit tired from the sudden halt of adrenaline pumping through his veins. He couldn't possibly be human… But Cloud knew for a fact that he was. And a surprisingly kind one at that.

Blue eyes fell to the floor as he spoke, "General." Sephiroth looked up at the blonde, giving him most of his attention. "I appreciate all that you're doing for me," Cloud's mellow voice continued on and a small smile crossed his face. It only felt right to thank him; That didn't mean that he trusted the man, but he was different now and that was something that the blonde was going to have to get used to. A sane Sephiroth…

Sephiroth was at a loss. Someone actually thanking him wasn't something he was used to, it was more of an implied thing.

The heavy burden that the blonde had carried for so long suddenly seemed a little lighter. Aerith's forgiveness had made him feel a huge weight come off of his shoulders, but seeing Zack again in the Lifestream only reminded him that things were not that easy. That crushing guilt would always be lurking around him, he suspected, but it would become more bearable. He would protect Zack this time and Hojo's head would roll if he so much as looked at the now-younger man. He'd have to find a way to get rid of the greasy scientist somehow, a way that wouldn't take him away from his new self-appointed duty.

Sephiroth was giving him a curious look, as if he was trying to see what had made the blonde's face fall to the sullen look it now had. He wasn't exactly sure why he was going to such lengths for a man that he didn't know. Sympathy? Skill? His looks, maybe? Something about him just drew the General in; Though he wasn't sure what, he hoped in time he would figure it out.

XxXxXxXxX

"Sephiroth's got that creeper look to him… Not so much the expression, well okay I'm not going to lie; For him it was kind of eerie, like he was leering, but it was more the look in his eyes." Genesis said as he made a display of dodging the broadsword's wide swing. Angeal snorted at him in an effort to suppress his laugh, but couldn't think of a way to defend his friend. The copper haired man carried on, "He's going to scare off our new acquaintance if he keeps that behavior up."

Angeal glanced over at him briefly before returning to staring in front of him. "So, what do you think of said new acquaintance?" he questioned softly, trying to take the focus off of Sephiroth's odd behavior. He did seem a little different…

"Mm. Cloud… He's certainly odd, it surprised me when he suddenly reached out for Veld. He wanted to say something…" The Crimson SOLDIER sighed and shook his head, "And to be honest I'm still floored by his strength, his appearance is quite deceiving." Genesis hummed softly remembering Sephiroth getting knocked through the wall and with it an image of the blonde's scarred body came to mind. "He must have paid a heavy price for that kind of strength…"

The two SOLDIERs were walking side-by-side down the hall toward the VR simulator. Genesis, now lost in thought seemed quite glum and it didn't sit well with Angeal. "So, Gen I noticed that you haven't made a reference to Loveless all day… You sick?" He teased softly, trying to get some kind of reaction out of his friend.

Genesis stopped in the middle of the hallway and thought hard on the day thus far, then laughed good naturedly, " I suppose you are right my friend." He quieted but a smile remained on his face. "_Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest_." His words were thoughtful as he tried to assess the situation.

Angeal tried to hide his smile, happy that Genesis seemed to be settling down and cheering up a bit. The copper haired man been a little off since they had found Cloud. He didn't think to hard on the half-passage that his friend had tagged to their new blonde acquaintance, but a small voice in the back of his mind told him it was strangely fitting for some reason.

XxXxXxXxX

As the day went on Sephiroth continued asking questions as he worked and Cloud continued answering them. Most were combat related; Was the fusion sword his preferred weapon? Did he use hand-to-hand? So on and so on. It almost seemed like he wanted to ask personal questions, but changed them at the last moment. The thought made the blonde smile ever so slightly to himself, think that he could possibly be a bit of a narcissist.

Sephiroth seemed to be becoming more comfortable with Cloud, and though a strangely calm feeling came over the blonde, he knew it was possible that it was an influence from the cells that they shared. It was something similar to the beckoning, pulling feeling that Reunion induced on his mind and body, yet distinctly different. Blue eyes glanced up at the General before quickly looking away.

The silver haired man glanced up from the report in front of him and caught sight of the quick flicker of blue and smirked slightly, perhaps the connection he felt wasn't a one sided pull. He schooled his features, like always, keeping his face impassive and unreadable. "You have not asked any names. Do you already know them or is it just insignificant?" The question was slipped in with questions of the smaller man's preferences to weaponry and equipment; Asked in the same tone.

Cloud flashed bright blue eyes up at his former enemy for a moment then began to speak, his voice completely level, "I don't need to ask names, everyone knows who you, Genesis and Angeal are…"

"And how did you know of SOLDIER Second Class Reno?" Sephiroth asked with a mixture of amusement and curiosity in his tone. A nagging suspicion was also lurking somewhere in the question. The General put his elbow on the chair's armrest and propped his cheek on his fist. An air of challenge surrounded the man, daring the blonde to lie to him.

Cloud actually let himself smile slightly at the thought of the loud mouthed redhead, "I've met Reno before. Haven't seen him in SOLDIER but I have seen him fight." Reno had always been a pain, for as long as the blonde had known him. He had dropped the Sector Seven Plate and caused countless deaths, but Cloud also knew that he was equally to blame for such things. Reno had been doing his job, just as Cloud. He also knew the Reno had felt bad about what he had done, though there was nothing that could fix the ruined lives; Nothing that could bring back the parents of orphaned children, like Denzel. The reminder still hurt him.

Sephiroth made a quiet noise of acknowledgment and regarded the blonde cautiously. The report in front of him was demanding his attention and the pen was poised to sign what needed recognition, but he couldn't seem to give it his usual effort; His mind was occupied with thoughts of a certain troublesome Second Class. Reno was a troublemaker under a heavy probation of his own; The man was a good SOLDIER though, they had been fortunate enough to get him into the program. It seemed that Cloud was referring to before the redhead had been taken in by Shin-Ra though. They appeared to be the same age, and the blonde seemed fond of the trouble making man… Friends? Or…

The General thought over Cloud's answer again and realized just how oddly his response was worded. He felt like slapping himself when he heard confusion in his own voice, "Do you talk with him?"

Cloud froze and thought about the last time he had actually talked to Reno. When was the last time he had really spoken to the man? The last time… Was when he was the leader of AVALANCHE… The blonde lowered his head, "No, not really. We aren't close."

Something in the silver haired man relaxed at hearing that. He felt relieved that Cloud didn't associate with the redhead. But, if he was going to be sparring with Fair he was bound to meet the trouble making SOLDIER; And something about that situation bothered him… Possibly because Cloud was under his watch for the time being and any mishaps were bound to come back and haunt him. Reno might give him trouble if he decided to pester the newly appointed mercenary, he might need to call and have him detained if such a thing were to happen. He looked the man across from him over for a moment, "You don't have a phone." It wasn't a question, he already knew because Genesis practically strip searched the younger man.

Cloud looked back up at him and shook his head. "I think the only things I have are these clothes, my sword and Fenrir's key… I don't even know where my bike is…" the thought was depressing, especially when voiced out loud. He'd worked hard over the years to get the things that he had had; And now he hardly had anything, though he was grateful for the things that Aerith and Zack had sent back with him.

Sephiroth hummed tapped his pen and looked on thoughtfully, "I'll pick you one up. I'll need to be able to get a hold of you when I don't know where you are. Mm, I expect you won't cause trouble, but one can never be to sure…" The pen began to scratch on paper again, but Sephiroth's mind was elsewhere. He wanted to be able to trust Cloud, his gut told him that this man was like him in so many ways; And that familiarity was something he wanted to hold on to.

The blonde mercenary sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I understand, I probably wouldn't trust me either," his voice was calm, and more than a little bored. Nothing about him let on to the feeling of annoyance running rampant through his mind. Living with the SOLDIER General was, quite possibly, going to be a lot worse than he had first thought…


	6. Chapter 5

Okay, this is the longest chapter I've written so far and it would have been longer, but I'm going to save Zack getting knocked on his ass for the next chapter. Reno finally makes an appearance, remember, he doesn't have the experience of a Turk to corrupt him; So he may come across as a little tamer than normal. He will become himself in time. _Italics_ are for Texts, the other end of a phone call, and Literary pieces. And for those of you that are going to question the Denzel reference later in the chapter, if you don't understand look into the OVA 'On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel'. The chapter didn't come out as complete trash like it was trying to. *Shifts nervously.* But I'm not entirely pleased with it. I made edits to Chapter 4 and added some new things. If you haven't seen it then you might wanna check it out. *Points at the Chapter Back button.*

I've also posted two other stories for those that don't know. Well, a story and a very short drabble... The story is an Angeal/Cloud fic and the drabble is another time travel thing with no relation to this one.

I apologize for any mistakes, with medication mixed into the reading problems I already have... It doesn't much work to review over things. If you find any glaring mistakes then say something and it will be corrected.

As always thank you for the reviews and such. Just over 11,100 hits, 100 faves, and almost 200 alerts. You guys make me smile. :) Oh, for those with a LiveJournal, I have a fan fiction account that I post updates for the stuff I'm working on and when I start something new. So if you wanna check that between updates on the story then you can see what's taking so damn long.

Thanks guys.

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><p>The blonde had woken up before the sun and aching all over. From his face down position in his pillow he could hear shuffling and his eyebrows knitted together. One Mako blue eye cracked open to find darkness; Was he covered with a blanket? With a pillow? Cloud hissed as his muscles protested moving about so early, regardless he pushed himself up and sat back on his ankles; The blanket slid down his back and pooled around his heels. Sleepy blue eyes swept over the room questioningly. Where was he?<p>

Boxes were piled all around the pullout couch that he was sitting heavily upon. It almost looked like a storage room. At the bar… No… Then where? The blonde's attention was turned toward the door as light poured beneath it. He watched it carefully, knowing someone was outside the door. But the shadow didn't stop, it passed by rather quickly. Curious…

Cautiously the blonde got up and made his way to the door. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to find his sword; The nagging little voice of instinct. Glowing blue eyes scanned the area for the fusion sword, but it was nowhere to be found. First Tsurugi was a large sword and not very easy to conceal, so he knew that if he couldn't see it it wouldn't be in the room.

The blonde hesitated at the door knob, maybe he should wait… He wasn't given a choice when the door opened and the knob was pulled out from under his hovering hand. His body froze at the sight before him. Sephiroth. In full battle leathers. Cloud's right hand twitched for his sword.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the sleep rumpled blonde. His spikes were in a wilder disarray that the day before and his clothes were slightly mussed. The zipper of his sweater was drawn down lower, showing off the scar just below his chest. Blue eyes showed recognition but also wariness; Then they followed the taller man's line of sight and he had to put a lot of effort into not grumbling a warning at him. Sephiroth adverted his eyes when he knew that he had been caught staring. All that pale skin on display was quite an attraction.

After clearing his throat the silver haired swordsman raised his hand enough to offer Cloud the object that he held. He allowed himself to look at the blonde again, but kept his eyes on the man's face. The urge to get closer got stronger when he noticed the blonde looking at him with such a cautious expression.

Bright, Mako blue eyes stayed locked on the slitted green eyes of the predator at the door. Only briefly did they move down to the object offered to him. A phone. A PHS that looked brand new, and it didn't look Shin-Ra issued.

"I picked this up for you," Sephiroth began, waiting for the man in front of him to take the mobile, "My number, Genesis', and Angeal's are already in it. We have to keep an eye on you after all…" He didn't know what to say, it was an awkward moment, but Cloud was looking at the PHS now. He still hadn't taken it and the look he was giving it was one that seemed to be distrust.

"… Thank you," Cloud said after a long silence. He reached over and took the phone from Sephiroth's hand, causing their bare skin brushed together. A jolt of, what felt like, electricity flew up his arm. Apparently the silver haired man had felt it as well because he pulled away just as fast as Cloud had. They stared at each other for an awkward moment before Sephiroth decided that he was going to have to take the initiative.

"Mm… Alright then. I already had something scheduled for today, so I am afraid that I will not be on base. Angeal is leaving with me, so Genesis will be accompanying you for the day," Sephiroth said uncomfortably. He had completely forgotten that he was scheduled to go to Mythril Mines to look into a Zolom problem. He hadn't lied when he said that the monsters were taking his SOLDIERs from the base. There seemed to be an increased amount of Monsters as of late and he didn't have the time to really investigate because of the constant missions.

Cloud nodded at the silver haired man and subconsciously gave him a once over. The General looked good in battle gear. His jacket was open and exposed the belt suspenders that crossed his chest. The top of his belt covered up the perfect abs that the blonde had seen a lifetime ago when he fought the man in the Lifestream. And where the jacket reopened he could see the leather pants- The blonde's entire brain stopped functioning at that thought. Blue eyes tore themselves from the General's body and fell down to his new phone, his mortified brain struggled to start back up.

Sephiroth blinked at the obvious once over and the effect that it seemed to have on the man. He didn't think he was that bad looking… The silver haired man cleared his throat and excused himself quietly before walking away and finishing preparations for his departure. For some reason he wasn't comfortable leaving Cloud with Genesis. The man had a social charm that Sephiroth severely lacked and could make the straightest of men blush… Hm. He spared a glance at Cloud. Wondering what the blonde's orientation could be.

He shook himself from his wondering and left it for a later time, when he was away from said blonde. He'd have to watch him a little more to really know what kind of person he was. "Cloud," it still sounded awkward, "I haven't had a guest in some time, so I'm going to set a few ground rules." When the blonde finally looked up at him and nodded he continued, "Please do not enter my bedroom unless I give you permission. If you make a mess clean it up, and lower the lid when you finish using the bathroom."

They were all things that he would abide by anyway, even if Sephiroth hadn't said anything, but he nodded to show the man that he understood. "Anything else," he asked softly as he leaned against the door frame of the room he had been using. Yesterday's events had settled in and were making themselves easier for him to remember.

"Do not look through my boxes, it was a hurried move and I will unpack at my own pace. Other than those rules, I do not have any others at the moment," the silver haired man told his blonde housemate.

"Alright then, you don't have to worry about any rule breaking," and in a moment of spontaneous sarcasm his mouth moved without his consent, "Would you also like me to call you 'Sir'?" He could have smacked himself, he came across as sounding like a hormonal teenager…

Sephiroth smirked, not sure if the blonde was kidding or actually interested. "Sephiroth will do just fine," he said smoothly. When he received a wide eyed stare he felt like an idiot. He was really going to have to learn a few things from Angeal about the mannerisms of the people around him.

Cloud was shocked, Sephiroth had sounded serious… "Uum…" was the only thing that he could get out of his mouth; Where was the autopilot when he actually needed it?

"Well, I'll be leaving then," Sephiroth said as if nothing had happened, all the while fighting not to add, 'Before I make a fool out of myself any further…' He turned and made a beeline for the door, "I can't keep Angeal waiting any longer." And with that the door was shut behind the man's billowing leather jacket.

If Cloud hadn't known any better he'd have said that the Great General had just embarrassed himself, and that the man was now running away from him. He let himself chuckle at the idea. Sephiroth, from his memory and Zack's combined, had never been a flirt; If anything the man didn't seem to catch such things and would just stare blankly at the person flirting with him.

Minutes later the phone buzzed. Cloud stared at it with an odd expression. Who would be texting him already? The number was an assortment of odd shapes and random letters... Obviously someone who didn't want to be traced. Turks. He flipped the phone open and opened the message.

'_What do you know?_'

Cloud stared at the text message blankly for a moment before responding, '_If you tell me who you are, I'll tell you what you need to know._' The blonde waited for a good ten minutes for the next message, when he was about to put the phone away it buzzed.

'_Who I am does not concern you. What do you know?_'

The blonde scowled at his phone. Damn Turks. He assumed that it would be Tseng, the man seemed intrigued by him when they met. '_Fine, be that way._' he had written out before he decided that would be childish of him. The words were deleted and he started again, searching though every memory he had from his early years in Shin-Ra. Zack's too. Finally he decided on what to put, he hoped it would tell him who he was really talking to, '_Felicia is alive._'

Cloud had enough time to close his phone and sigh before it buzzed again, '_How do you know?_'

It was either a Turk that knew of Veld's situation, like Tseng, or the man himself. He settled on a question of his own, '_Do you know of AVALANCHE's leader?_'

The message that was sent back surprised him, '_I know of her. I have never seen her for myself but they say her sword skills rival Sephiroth's._' It was odd that the Turks wouldn't know what the girl looked like… Maybe they didn't know as much as he was giving them credit for…

'_Elfe is Felicia._' he texted, not dancing around the subject. Five minutes passed and he got nothing back, he put the phone away and looked for First Tsurugi. If he was going out then he couldn't leave it. He had made a sort-of-promise to Zack. The thought of Zack made him smile, it was so surreal and he knew that it was possibly all a dream, but he was happy to be able to see his savior and friend again.

He found his sword in the kitchen, of all the places Sephiroth could have put it… It was laid heavily on the counter between the sink and refrigerator. Blue eyes strayed to the wall that he had destroyed the day before. It was repaired, to the point that it was difficult to tell it had ever been damaged. How Shin-Ra did this little trick Cloud would never know…

He easily lifted First Tsurugi and placed in its harness, then the blonde set out to leave the General's living quarters. A buzz against his thigh stopped him in his tracks however. He reached for the phone expecting it to be the response that would set in motion a series of actions that once started could not be stopped. Instead, it was Genesis…

'_I hereby claim the honor of being your first. This message shall forever be the first in your inbox on this new phone._

_There is no hate, only joy  
>For you are beloved by the goddess<br>Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds_'

Cloud blushed at the first sentence. Had the man not added the last part he would have felt like the man was trying to court him. But, he blinked cluelessly at the last bit and read it aloud to himself. "Healer of worlds? That's a new one…" he mumbled, even as a slight smile made it's way onto his face, "Guess I'll humor him though." He had forgotten how nice it was to just talk and joke with people. A small pang of regret resounded in his heart. Tifa and the others, he would never get to do this with them again unless he wanted them dragged into any of the messes that he could possibly make.

'_Yeah. Guess you are. Sephiroth told me to meet up with you, you're my designated babysitter for the day._' He felt odd; He was remorseful, knowing this was something he should have done with his friends, but at the same time he felt light and almost happy that they would never have to go through the horrors they had seen. If he had any say that is. Everyone but Vincent… He would have to make sure to wake his friend before razing the mansion to the ground.

'_Lighten up Cloud, we'll be fast friends if you do. I am enroute to The Great General's apartment as we speak._

_There is no hate, only joy  
>For you are beloved by the goddess<br>Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds_'

Again Cloud caught himself reading the passage aloud. It must have been Genesis' signature for text messages, but he decided to ask anyway, '_What's with the 'Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds' thing?_'

The text back was almost instantaneous, '_It's Loveless… I'm so dragging you to the theatre to educate you on fine Literature once your probation is up… I think the passage best describes me, so I assigned it as a signature. This way all will know of my greatness._

_There is no hate, only joy  
>For you are beloved by the goddess<br>Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds_'

How he had send such a long message so quickly, left Cloud wondering if the man practiced all day or was just a natural like Yuffie. He read over the message a second time and frowned a little, Genesis certainly thought highly of himself… Braggarts had never been high on his list of likable characteristics of a persons personality. While he wouldn't let that stop him from befriending the man, it was also an opening to take him down a peg or two in a friendly spar. The blonde smirked at the idea.

A knock on the door let him know that the copper haired man had arrived. He pocketed his phone and walked over to the door. He was disappointed to find that the man was without his sword. The door was closed behind him and the display beside the door turned from green to red, signifying that it was locked. He assumed that Sephiroth would be back later and if not he had no qualms with sleeping outside on the training field.

It was strange how easily he was able to fall into this life… Something told him that it was Zack's personality that made it so easy for him, the man was saving him again without even knowing it. Helping him adapt and accept the idea.

"Well, shall we?" Genesis asked politely, leading the blonde to the elevator, "I thought I'd show you around. Sephiroth is usually far to busy to do that sort of thing." The way he said the silver haired man's name told Cloud that there might be a little hostility in their relationship.

"I appreciate it, I just hope I'm not making you go out of your way or anything. I wouldn't want to be a bother," the blonde said softly as he followed the man into the elevator. He really was grateful, he didn't remember much about headquarters.

"Nonsense my friend, I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to. It's nice to do something different every now and again," Genesis said as he pushed the button for the ground floor. "I'm afraid I can't show you much inside the main building though. Not being military personnel leaves you with the civilian army's training area. It's a shame, I would have liked to face off with you in the VR too," the man sighed wistfully, making Cloud smile.

"You'll be more of a match than Sephiroth then? I'm glad, it's not often I get to go all out on someone," the blonde played along, gaining a bright smile from the man beside him.

"Mm. Of course, I am the hero after all. _My friend, your desire; Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess_," the copper haired man said, in reference to himself. Though he did so just as the elevator opened. Zack really was right about the man, Cloud couldn't think of anything short of 'Condescending Ass' to describe Genesis. While it wasn't ideal, it was a change from the norm.

"Isn't it a little early to be quoting fairytales," a stern voice said. The man entered the elevator and pushed the button for the forty-fifth floor. Cloud glanced at the man, who turned out to be Veld, quickly before looking at the digital reader above the doors as they shut.

His phone caught him off guard when it buzzed rather loudly in the quiet elevator. Genesis looked on questioningly but Veld didn't so much as twitch. The blonde thought about ignoring the message for later, but it just wasn't in him to keep the information away from someone who could maybe stop AVALANCHE early.

'_What proof do you have?_' out of the corner of his eye he could see Genesis steal a peek at his screen. It only left the copper haired man looking more confused.

"It's gotta be a wrong number," Cloud covered softly, he knew that he was a convincing liar when he needed to be. Genesis regarded him suspiciously but shrugged it off, much to the blonde's relief.

'_Check Hojo's files, keyword in search 'Zirconiade'. If you still don't believe me then I'm sorry to say that there is nothing more I can offer you_.' Cloud sighed as he sent his message.

"How are you settling in?" Veld asked as he neared his floor. The blonde looked up quickly and cocked his head off to one side. He couldn't tell the man that he'd ogled the General first thing in the morning, and that he'd been a hair's breath away from attacking the man through the door before he knew who it was…

"I'm settling in fine, Sir," he knew he didn't have to add the 'Sir', but it paid to show respect. Veld seemed pleasantly surprised and smirked as the door opened. "Cloud, was it? After witnessing that skill of yours, don't be surprised to know that you may be being tailed. Good day, gentlemen," he said, amused though it didn't show, as he exited the elevator.

Genesis looked on with shock, and when the door shut he looked directly at Cloud, "I'd say that puts you pretty high on the food chain… It's not everyday that the Leader of the Turks warns you not to do anything stupid."

The blonde didn't have a reply and simply shrugged as he flipped his phone shut.

"If it was a wrong number why did you text back?" Genesis asked curiously. Cloud didn't seem like the type to engage in a spontaneous conversation with a person that he didn't know.

"I told them that they must have the wrong number, and asked that they didn't text back," the blonde said coolly, almost convincing himself. Genesis made a thoughtful noise, but otherwise didn't speak until they reached the first floor lobby.

"Alright, we're going to the back of the compound. To the place that we happened to stumble upon you yesterday," the copper haired SOLDIER clarified as he lead. Cloud followed like a lost puppy, feeling very much out of place, and looking around as he walked.

Genesis being the ever curious snooper, asked a simple question that he had no answer for, "So, why are you here? In the first place I mean, before the General whisked you away to make you a 'Dog of Shin-Ra.'"

There was no one answer that he could really say; To stop Sephiroth, to change the future, to protect Zack. Finally he settled, "To live." It was simple but had deep meaning.

Genesis hummed softly at him. A look of sympathy in his eyes. It was easy to forget that the three strongest men in Shin-Ra had not rightfully been able to choose what to do with their lives. They had been forced into the military because of the unique augmentations that were given without consent. 'Child Soldiers' came to mind. Denzel… The boy hadn't been able to pick the path his life had gone down… He was going to make sure that that never happened again. Had he even been born yet?

Genesis fell back to walk beside the blonde, there he had discovered how fascinating it was to watch emotions flicker behind those Mako brightened eyes.

When they reached the field the copper haired man began to explain that Shin-Ra had planted the trees on dirt that was placed on the plate. Special tubing supplied the tree with Mako. The grass had a similar method; Genesis went on to say that he thought Shin-Ra might want all SOLDIERs trained in some type of terrain. Flat and grassy was better than nothing. The blonde let his eyes roam over the field.

There amongst the few up this early was Zack, sparring with two helmeted SOLDIER Thirds. Cloud resisted the urge to smile as he watched on. The raven haired teen still seemed a little awkward with his style, not having the field experience to hone his skills. Genesis looked between Cloud and Zack.

"He's jailbait you know?" the reaction was instantaneous, Cloud recoiled from the man and glared murderously at him. He had never seen his friend like that, not once, but the thought didn't seem all that foreign. Something inside told him that his savior might have felt that way about him, but he violently shook that thought out of his head.

Genesis seemed surprised, "Guess I was off then… Hm… I'm never wrong about these things." His brow creased and he looked Cloud over carefully, making the blonde man self conscious. Light blue eyes linger right where Sephiroth's had but this time Cloud followed the instinct that was screaming at him. He pulled the zipper up and turned away from the man, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"Don't look at me like that, it weirds me out," he said coldly, letting himself slip into that place he had been that lifetime ago, closed off from his surroundings. Though he couldn't really bring himself to be to disgruntled about it. He really wasn't even sure what he wanted in a partner.

"My apologize," Genesis said sincerely. "I just thought…" he couldn't make himself finish the sentence. All the while though his brain was reasoning that Cloud was just too good-looking to be exclusive to one gender. It just didn't seem right, it was more illegal than unfair.

The blonde was silent, letting his blue eyes look around the area. There, in one of the organic trees was a pair of legs, just dangling from one of the branches. SOLDIER issue boots, and the color of the pants was the dark red associated with Second Class. "Any idea who that might be?" he asked hoping to take the focus off of the impending question about his sexual orientation.

Genesis was happy to change the subject, feeling thoroughly embarrassed that he could possibly be wrong and hinder a chance at getting to know the blonde better. He glanced over at the tree and rolled his eyes, "Reno."

"He's a slacker that happens to be just talented enough to make it into the ranks… I don't know how to be honest, I've seen him in action and I wasn't impressed. Oh well," Genesis sighed. Reno really was good with hand-to-hand combat, but with a word the man wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of Headquarters.

The legs, on either side of the branch, that had been swaying stopped and shifted slightly. Suddenly, they were both on one side of the branch and the man dropped to the ground. His red hair was short and wild, falling strangely without his usual goggles. And the uniform looked so wrong on him… It didn't help that the blonde had only ever seen the redhead in a suit.

Mako bright teal eyes opened and regarded them curiously but he saluted anyway, "Sir." It didn't sound heartfelt, but nothing out of the redhead's mouth ever had. It was enough to catch the attention of the three Thirds a ways away though. Each one snapped to attention and choired, "Sir."

Genesis raised his hand in a dismissive gesture, looking bored and uninterested. When Zack trotted over the emotion shifted to irritation. Zack had been bothering Angeal, and by extension Genesis, for the past month about an apprenticeship.

"Cloud! I've been itching to talk to you again man. Ah, and you have your sword," the teen grinned. The blonde felt his cold shield slip through his fingers and he let a small smile grace his features.

"So, this is the guy that had you all wound up yesterday… Huh. I expected someone… Bigger," Reno said with a playful, yet lazy looking, grin. Cloud let his eyes move over to the redhead. He sized him up for a moment, noticing that he didn't appear to have any weapons on him.

"Yeah, this is Cloud. He's really strong and he's got some awesome moves," Zack praised as he looked from Reno to Cloud. The blonde noticed that the other two Thirds hadn't moved. The raven haired teen followed his line of sight and smiled, "Essai and Sebastian, they have duty soon and…" The rest was drown out by Cloud's thoughts roaring at him.

Essai and Sebastian… Zack's two friends that had been captured by AVALANCHE. They weren't Ravens, not yet anyway…

When Cloud tuned back in it was to Genesis telling Zack to be quiet because he was giving the man a headache. "How do you put up with it?" the copper haired man asked the flame haired.

Reno smiled a lopsided smile and shrugged. "Dunno what to tell you, yo. I love him like a brother," he said fondly.

Genesis snorted and looked away. He had been racking his brain for the past five minutes trying to find a way to stop what he was sure was going to be awkward tension between himself and Cloud. He hated making bad first impressions. The only solution that came to mind was distance. The blonde had told the teen he'd work with him, and Genesis wasn't one to sit and watch…

"I suppose I'll leave you with these…" he started, searching for the right word. Idiots, fools, inexperienced- "Fine young men for a bit. You did want a spar with Zackary, did you not?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"You sure your allowed to leave me alone? I didn't think I was that trusted," Cloud asked in a monotone voice. "Wouldn't wanna make the General angry," he commented dryly.

Genesis laughed a genuine laugh, "I live to irritate. It amuses me and gives my existence meaning," he told them truthfully, "If Sephiroth feels like getting his panties in a bunch over it, I'll take the blame."

'But it would be your fault,' was a thought that the blonde refused to voice. The thought of said General in panties made the entire side of his face twitch in what could only be described as disgust. Reno and Zack had similar expressions.

"That you for the visual that will scar me for the rest of my young life," Reno groaned. Sephiroth just wasn't a good guy for lingerie fantasies.

"Oh, stop your whining, you are nearly as old as I am," Genesis barked at the flame haired man. "I am not going to be far, probably across the field, or in the lounge. Call my phone when you are finished wiping the floor with the puppy," though he was still glaring at Reno, his voice was soft and civil.

Cloud nodded in understanding and that was all Genesis need, he turned on his heels and left.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Genesis pulled his phone out once he was out of earshot, even for enhanced hearing. He hit the speed dial button and the number one, then he waited through the ringing."

"_Hewley here_," came from the other end.

Genesis felt the flicker of a smile across his lips, "Angeal, is that anyway to answer a friend."

The other end of the phone was quiet for a moment before the copper haired First heard a murmur of Sephiroth's voice, and then Angeal again, "_What's wrong Gen? Something happen?_"

Genesis barked out a laugh, "Wrong does not begin to describe it… I may have deeply insulted our new friend…"

Angeal groaned, "_What did you do Genesis?_"

The copper haired SOLDIER coughed and before answering in a low voice, "I may have assumed that he was gay and actually been rather uncouth at pointing it out."

Another louder, more frustrated groan came from the phone, "_What in the world were you thinking?_" In the background he heard what vaguely sounded like, 'Him too?'

Genesis said what had actually came to mind, "That a man that good-looking could not possibly be anything short of a batter for both teams… He cannot be exclusive to women, that would just be wrong Angeal." The last bit was spoken in a matter-of-fact voice that clearly screamed 'I'm right dammit, agree with me'.

"_You and Sephiroth are going to make me go prematurely gray, you know…_" Angeal let out a long suffering sigh.

Genesis reveled in the fact that the 'perfect' General had made a mistake, but that only lead him to think about how closed off Cloud had become…

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Cloud watched Genesis walk away, relieved that the awkward tension that had been hanging in the air dissipated.

Zack was waving to his friends when Cloud looked back at him. He knew just by looking at the teen that he hadn't experienced the horrors of war, had never killed another for a cause that he didn't agree with. Briefly, the thought of locking the innocent, blue eyed teenager away from the world occurred. Nothing would ever be able to hurt him, but Cloud knew that Zack was a social creature; He loved being able to talk freely.

Reno, who was still standing beside Zack, was giving the blonde a look that bordered on disapproval. In his eyes, Zack didn't even know the blonde and was already pushing the barrier of an overly friendly relationship. The teen had told him that he felt a strange sort of kinship to the blonde man, and then went on to say that Cloud was pretty for a man. Looking at the blonde now, Reno could see where he was coming from. Spikey blonde hair, fair skinned with a light dusting of freckles, beautiful blue eyes, and full soft looking lips. And that was just his face… Yeah, Reno would give him the attractive point, but he still didn't know the man.

Cloud glanced over at Reno before looking back at Zack, "So, where would you like to start?"

Zack grinned and looked at Reno, "Introduction. This is Reno, he's a Second and he's wicked good at hand-to-hand." That explained the lack of a weapon.

Absently the blonde's mouth ran way with him, "Ever thought of a nightstick or baton." His mind flashed a red warning light and he nearly swore.

Something flashed behind Reno's teal eyes, suspicion perhaps, "A Turk asked me the same thing." Yeah, it was suspicion. "You wouldn't happen to be affiliated with the Suits of Shin-Ra, would ya?" he almost seemed angry, the irony of the situation did not escape the blonde.

Cloud let out a light laugh, "Turks? No. I don't play with that type of double edged sword. They may be helpful at times but they're more a hindrance than anything else."

Reno inclined his head slightly in agreement.

If he was going to say anything then Zack cut him off, "Now that that's out of the way, I wanna learn some sword techniques." A large grin was on the Third's face.

"Alright, go get your sword," He could see the lone broadsword sticking upright out of the ground. Zack nodded and rushed off to get his forgotten blade.

Cloud watched on as he spoke to Reno, "I take it Zack told you the truth." Reno grunted in confirmation. Zack was a terrible liar anyway. "You don't seem like the gossiping type," Cloud said cautiously. Hoping against all else that he was correct.

Reno snorted, "Please. If you being here takes Tseng's attention off of me for a while, then I'm grateful that you showed up." The redhead crossed his arms and looked over his shoulder at Zack who was running toward them, his sword was thankfully on his magnetic harness. "Besides, I was afraid Angeal was going to throttle the kid for not giving him a moment of peace," he said as he jerked his head toward Zack, indicated that he was indeed the 'kid'.

"Okay, teach me," the teen said eagerly. Cloud smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Let me see your stance, first defensive and then offensive. I'll make corrections where I see fit," the blonde told him softly. Blue eyes followed Zack's every move, looking him over critically as he fell into form. "Stop." He ordered right as Zack was changing position. The boy froze with an alarmed look on his face.

Reno grinned and moved away from them to plop down in the grass and watch. Zack was a cocky brat when it came to his technique, it was going to be enjoyable to see him get knocked down a notch or two.


	7. Chapter 6

This took so long to finish... If anyone sees anything terribly off, please tell me and I will fix it.

As always thank you all for the continued support of this story. The reviews are wonderful and they motivate me to keep going, the alerts and favorites give me the warm fuzzies, and the huge ammount of hits just makes me love you guys all that much more. :3

* * *

><p>Zack's raw, untapped strength was astounding, and in time he would become a great swordsman; but until then he was still seemingly nervous, his eyes were flickering between his own feet and Cloud's face, when they should have been watching the subtle movements of the blonde's shoulders, wrists, and sword. His eyes searched Cloud's every time they locked gazes, probably looking for approval of some sort.<p>

Reno whooped from his spot in the grass when Zack was knocked back and kicked in the chest; he had been watching them and adding his two gil every chance he got. Genesis had since come back and was sitting beside Reno, alternating between reading, and watching. He didn't seem overly thrilled about sitting next to the flame haired man, but he seemed to be dealing with it.

Zack laid sprawled on the ground for a long minute, Cloud watching him with a look amusement dancing behind his bright blue eyes. The teenager brought his knees up to his chest and kicked-up to land flat on his feet with a large grin on his sweaty, flushed face. "That was so cool. So, did you see what you wanted? Am I gonna be a master? Are you gonna teach me?" he asked eagerly. Cloud gave him a little smile and nodded once. A light laugh escaped the blonde when Zack whooped and turned to give Reno a thumbs up.

The redhead barked out a laugh, "We'll see Zack, you might scare him off."

Cloud felt loose and more relaxed than he had in a long time. Zack's presence, like always, seemed to soothe his nerves and ease his worries. The blonde glanced between the two wondering why he had never seen them interact with each other before. He didn't think he'd ever met Reno when he was an infantryman, but his memories were so scattered and tainted that he couldn't be sure. Large black spots occupied parts of his memories, but he had come to terms with the fact that he may never remember them.

Zack bent and picked up his sword, his grin toned down to a happy smile. In a lot of ways he didn't seem much different from when he grew older, but Cloud could see true innocence to him when he really looked at his younger self; The way he carried himself and his confidence remained the same though. When the boy stood up he tilted his head to the side and gave the blonde a subtle signal to head over to Reno and Genesis with him. Cloud snorted and put the Fusion Sword in it's harness. It seemed that Zack was always the type to make friends quickly, not that Cloud minded. He started walking with the teenager, heading back to the two waiting redheads. The blonde was surprised with how easily the criticism came, "You need a lot of practice, but I saw a few key areas that needed improvement. You need to work on your footing, and it wouldn't hurt to be a little more conscious of where you keep your eyes. Your stance is good but keep in mind that people with a heavy blade, like a broad sword, spread your weight evenly by keeping a wide stance. You should also remember that swordsman will use not only their blades, but their bodies as well, so be ready for anything. I'll show you some little tricks of the trade next time." The raven haired teen listened eagerly and nodded to show his understanding. His sky blue eyes visibly brightened at the prospect of another spar with the blonde.

Reno grinned when the two swordsmen came to stand in front of him, "So, Zack needs more focus and training is what your saying, right?" Cloud nodded once in response, blonde spikes bounced slightly. It almost looked like Reno was leering at him for a moment before the redhead turned his aqua colored eyes to Zack and grinned again. "Not as high and mighty as you thought, huh? Gotta lotta work to do, Fair," Reno clucked his tongue playfully at the boy.

"He could use a little more than focus…" Genesis murmured from behind his book. Cloud shot him an annoyed look before turning back to Zack, who wasn't the slightest bit discouraged by the auburn haired man's words.

When Zack plopped down in the grass he turned toward the blonde with an expectant look. Cloud, never being able to tell the raven haired man 'No', sat down after removing his sword harness. First Tsurugi laid across his lap innocently.

Sky blue eyes looked at him curiously for a moment before the teen opened his mouth, "So, I noticed the little ribbon on your arm, what's it for? Is it one of those special ones that is suppose to prevent blindness, and confusion, and stuff?"

Cloud looked down at the pink material tied around his bicep and a small smile made its way onto his face. "It's something that belonged to a dear friend," he sighed when he felt a sudden loneliness take hold of him. Aerith wouldn't remember him, no one would, he'd already established that in his mind; but it did nothing to stop the lonely feeling that were brewing inside of him. "She wore a pink ribbon in her hair and when she passed on to the Lifestream my friends and I cut the ribbon into strips, and each one of us wore one. It's an 'In Memory of' sort of thing," he explained softly, feeling an oncoming bout of depression edging into his mind.

Zack hummed thoughtfully, "Did you love her?" Genesis seemed to perk up a little at the question, though he tried not to show it. Reno seemed curious but only mildly so.

Cloud shifted uncomfortably, looking between Zack and Genesis. "Yeah, I still do," he mumbled quietly.

"Must be hard… I can't imagine losing someone that I love… I mean, I've lost family, but that's different," Zack trailed off sadly, trying to empathize. Cloud could see something different in his eyes, an odd emotion that he had never seen in those bright, sky blue eyes before.

"It was hard, I blamed myself a lot… but I know she wouldn't want me to. I feel like she's forgiven me for not being able to save her," Cloud sighed softly before he realized that Genesis and Reno were now listening intently. He fought hard not to blush under their scrutiny. A feeling of utter embarrassment engulfed him, he had just spilled one of his deepest, darkest thoughts with people that he wasn't suppose to know. Damning Zack seemed to be the easiest way to deal with it, but he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.

Genesis hummed thoughtfully, "Women are difficult creatures to deal with. They're delicate but easily agitated when they are treated as such…"

Reno snorted and looked at the other redhead, a teasing quality in his voice, "Permission to speak freely, sir." When Genesis nodded cautiously the flame haired Second grinned deviously, "Was her name 'Steve'?" When the First gave him a strange look he took pity on the man and clarified, "This 'woman' that gave you such knowledge… Was her name 'Steve'?"

Genesis' face reddened, out of anger or embarrassment Cloud didn't know but it was somewhat amusing. Zack snorted and lowered his head to hide his smile when he saw that Cloud was keeping a careful blank expression. When the First didn't do anything Reno's grin slowly died and his entire face transformed into an innocent expression.

There was a tense minute where the blonde was sure that Genesis was going to tear Reno's head off, but instead the man sighed. "I believe his name was 'John'," he said seriously.

The redheaded Second's jaw dropped and he floundered until the words worked their way free, "Are you serious? Did you just make a joke? The pompous ass of SOLDIER has a sense of humor?"

Genesis gave him a bored look and blinked slowly, "What do you think?"

Cloud couldn't keep himself from chuckling, but he wished that he had. As soon as it left him he desperately wished that he could grab it and stuff it back in the deepest darkest part of his mind. Three sets of eyes were staring intently at him. "What? You guys are amusing…" he murmured.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Zack smiling softly at him, that familiar smile that he had seen a lifetime ago. He couldn't make himself look at it directly, afraid that it would disappear. To the side, he could hear Genesis grumbling to himself grumpily.

"So," Reno began, glancing around to try and route out eavesdroppers, they seemed to be alone. "Zack told me that you didn't want to be SOLDIER. Not sayin' that I blame ya, but what's your reason, yo?"

The blonde could feel his body stiffen at the question, in the back of his mind he could still feel the burn of Mako, and the sting of needles; could still hear the screams. He wasn't even sure if they were his own or Zack's anymore, they were just screams that haunted the dark recesses of his mind and thoughts. "I don't like labs," he said distantly, distracted by the resurfacing thoughts and traumas.

"The science freaks weird ya out, huh? I don't blame you for wanting to stay as far away from that stuff as possible, yo. It's understandable," Reno reassured as he let his eyes travel over the blonde. Cloud came out of his distraction in time to notice that Reno was giving him a good looking over. Mako brightened blue eyes blinked at the fiery haired man, he was obviously sizing Cloud up, even after seeing him spar with Zack. Reno, realizing that he'd been caught didn't bother to look away, he simply turned his eyes to the blonde's, "Labs aren't my style either, blondie."

For a single moment, Genesis's awkward cough, and Zack's clueless noise didn't register with Cloud. All he was focused on was the look in Reno's eyes; it wasn't something he hadn't seen directed at himself before, he was just amazed it was coming from Reno's blue-green eyes. The spell seemed to break when Zack made a strange whining noise, attracting the other three's attention. A memory came back to the blonde, of Zack's strange noises and a large hand being placed on his head.

"You're just like a puppy, I swear," the words were synchronized with his memory, he could only assume that Angeal was the speaker, but the words left his own lips.

Reno snorted, Genesis grinned, and Zack seemed horrified. "Not you, too," he whined at the blonde. Cloud felt himself smile, a happy little flutter in his stomach, at seeing Zack as he always had wanted to. Seeing his friend for him being himself, and not just a SOLDIER Operative. It was nice, and left the group to share a laugh at the raven haired teen's expense.

XxX

It was hours later while he was in the bathroom in Genesis' apartment, after leaving Zack and Reno, that Cloud heard his phone buzzing on the counter just outside the shower. He ignored it until he was finished washing himself and turned the water off. Genesis had told him in the politest way possible, that he stank; then offered his shower to the blonde. Cloud wasn't about to complain, he hadn't bathed in a while, even before the remnants had shown up. After drying off his hands he took his phone and flipped it open.

"_What do you want?"_

Cloud was slightly baffled by the text. His response said as much, _'What do you mean?'_

The blonde warrior started toweling off while he waited, but didn't get far before he got a message that answered his question, _"For your information."_

Typical Turk. The blonde rolled his eyes, and started to send his answer before something made him stop and think about the whole situation. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that it was something important, something that could save lives… Suddenly his head hurt, a skull splitting headache with no warning, similar to when he had had his attacks in the past. He didn't feel his knees hit the floor, but he saw the floor getting closer and closer until everything was black.

He could feel himself open his eyes, then slowly they began to adjust. Something was wrong with his vision, but he wasn't sure what. Reno was looking at him from across a table. The blonde wanted to look around but found himself just staring at the redhead.

"Zack would have been a great help beating that WEAPON, yo. It's a fucking shame things turned out the way they did…" Reno said softly, turning his eyes to the empty glass that Cloud had failed to notice before.

"Which one?" Cloud mumbled, turning his gaze to the glass in front of himself.

"The one that attacked the other Turks, man. They could have used his help, yo. No body got seriously hurt, it just would have been a lot easier if he'd been there with them. Cissnei really liked-"

"No. I don't wanna hear about who could have used his help," Cloud stood abruptly, nearly falling out of his chair, "Everyone turned their back on him. Everyone. No one was there to help him when he needed it most…"

Reno stared at him with an unreadable look in his eyes, before he opened his mouth, "Listen Cloud, you may not know it, 'cause you were fuckin' out of it, but we did help Zack and you… As much as we fuckin' could. Cissnei risked her ass giving you guys some more time, and Rude 'n me tried to save you guys before the fuckin' army showed up… Don't you think that deserves a little help in return. We were dealing with another environmentalist freak with a summon materia that people have only ever heard of in fairytales. And to top it off, the bastard got so bad the damn Planet sent a WEAPON to deal with him… Know who got stuck dealing with the thing? The Turks, man…"

Cloud could seem to find the words to express his muddled thoughts, Reno had just sprung something on him that he hadn't known about. Had never even thought about.

Reno sighed in frustration and took off his goggles to run his fingers through his hair, "I know you two were close, man. Zack was a great guy, the real hero type. We did everything we could… we were just so tied up in the boss's business that we didn't have time for much else…"

Was it suppose to be some kind of apology? Or…

"Reno…" the blonde couldn't think of anything to say. Reno was showing him a side of himself that he didn't even know existed.

It felt like emerging from an ice bath. There was no air in his lungs and his eyes burned. Slowly he pushed himself off of the bathroom floor and looked around. It had been years since he had actually fallen unconscious to flashbacks. Numbly, he stared down at the puddle of blood before his face.

Before he could put much thought into it Genesis was bursting through the door.

XxXxX

"You're epileptic, aren't you?" Genesis asked as he dabbed at Cloud's split eyebrow with an antiseptic soaked cotton ball. The wound was already beginning to close, but it was still essential to keep it clean while it sealed up.

"No, not-… Well, kind of," Cloud responded lamely, "It's happened before. Quite a few times actually." Genesis tsked softly and sat back to look at the blonde's face.

"I really don't want to make you uncomfortable, so you don't have to answer, but… Did Hojo know about these seizures?" the auburn haired man asked soberly, a slight undertone of concern lacing his voice. Cloud stared back, only able to hold the man's gaze for a moment, before his blue eyes fell to the floor.

He hated thinking about Hojo, hated hearing about Hojo, and most of all hated Talking about Hojo. "I was one of his failures," he said mechanically, "Even if he would have known, he wouldn't have cared…" Cloud felt the mako in his blood singing, he could feel his eyes burning; changing from blue to green.

He kept his eyes steady on the tiled floor, took a deep calming breath, and slowly let them travel up a bit to his naked legs. A bright red hue adorned his face as he realized for the first time that he was completely naked in front of Genesis. His body was littered with scars, from fighting and Hojo's handiwork. The other man didn't seemed bothered in the least, he kept at his task of putting away the unused materials back into the first aid box.

"I don't have any clothes…" Cloud muttered as he pressed his thighs together, and resisted the urge to squirm and try to cover himself up with his arms. The modest country boy in him was telling him that it wasn't right to display his body as such.

"You can wear a SOLDIER uniform until your clothing is clean… Of course, I could always send it down to my tailor and have a few new sets made. It's up to you," Genesis shrugged and closed the case. He already had a set of First Class clothing waiting for the blonde. His teal eyes turned back to Cloud, seeing him looking uncomfortable, vulnerable, and almost innocent. It left the copper haired SOLDIER wondering how someone so pure could hold so much power.

"You fought very well against Sephiroth, I can hardly wait until you and I get to spar," Genesis said enthusiastically, hoping that it might brighten up the blonde's mood.

Cloud lowered his head slightly, "I'm not as strong as Sephiroth. I was only joking earlier, about being stronger than him," he could hardly believe that he had actually been joking around with anyone.

Genesis paused long enough to let it settle in, "But, you could have beaten him if you hadn't stopped." He had seen the battle hardened warrior that resided in this blonde man, and it was more powerful than any he had seen before.

"I was fighting for my life, I was confused and disoriented at the time… I was fighting like a monster, not caring who got hurt… That's a part of me that I don't like to let out," Cloud mumbled, looking every bit serious.

"Is that not the way that a warrior is suppose to fight?" Genesis asked distractedly as he watched the mako swirling in the blonde's eyes. Mako brightened, blue eyes stared back at him with a determination that was nearly frightening. "You thought that Sephiroth was going to attempt to take your life, isn't it only right that you fight with all you're worth to defend your right to life?" he asked curiously, genuinely wondering if Cloud really thought it so wrong that he had fought with his all.

"I don't want to be the killing machine that he was trying to recreate… I have…" behind his eyelids the blonde could almost see Zack, if he tried hard enough, he could almost hear the man talking about his 'SOLDIER Honor'. "I have honor… I'm human, and I value life, because not everyone is given a second chance…" he finished softly, now hiding his eyes behind closed lids. Watching Zack's back disappear into a bright searing light.

Genesis hummed softly in an empathetic manner. He, himself, had never had any qualm with taking the life of an attacker, but obviously Cloud had the decency to feel shame for that side of himself. It wasn't something Genesis was particularly proud of, the ability to kill without thinking, it was just something that he had been trained to do since he was a child. "Does one ever truly get a second chance?" the auburn haired man asked, musing aloud.

"Yes," Cloud answered without a moment of hesitation, "Second chances are something that are given by the grace of another. People make sacrifices to give other's another chance at life." The blonde's eyes opened slowly, looking directly into Genesis'.

There was such a sadness behind those eyes, it was heartbreaking to see such emotions behind such a beautiful face. It was obvious that the blonde had lost someone dear, someone who he had truly loved. "Was it that woman?" he asked offhandedly, distracted by his own thoughts until he heard the sound of his own voice.

Cloud was silent for a long time, just staring at him, looking for something in Genesis that he could confide in. It wasn't until it became unnerving that he shrugged one shoulder and adverted his eyes, "Yeah." The answer was short and simple, so simple in fact that it omitted a magnitude of detail; but he wasn't going to confide in the auburn haired SOLDIER until he truly knew him as a person.

The silence between them stretched on into something terribly uncomfortable, until Genesis' phone rang. The man breathed a sigh of relief as he answered without looking to see who was calling.

"_We will be returning a bit later than scheduled,"_ Sephiroth's business tone droned into his ear, curt and irritated.

"How much later?" Genesis returned, feeling a tad irritated himself. Cloud was proving to be difficult to read, and he wasn't looking forward to another slip up.

"_We will be returning after nightfall, possibly after midnight…" _the silver haired man growled into the phone.

Genesis rose from his seat and made his way into the living room, leaving Cloud to get dressed.

"Sephiroth, this is not going well… I think I may have struck a nerve with him…" the man muttered softly, soft enough that enhanced hearing would have trouble picking up his voice.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. An extended one. It stretched on and on until Genesis began to suspect that Sephiroth had hung up on him.

"_What did you do?" _came the irritated voice through the phone. The auburn haired man pulled the phone away from his ear long enough to send it an agitated scowl.

"I may have brought up Hojo…" Genesis admitted, but quickly added, "But only because he had a seizure while he was getting out of the shower…"

"_Hojo had a seizure getting out of the shower?" _Sephiroth sounded absolutely dumbfounded.

"No, you moron. Cloud had a seizure… At least that's what I'm calling it," he growled softly at his dumbstruck friend. "How the hell would I know anything about Hojo? I don't keep tabs on the man," he demanded a little louder than intended.

After a moment of silence Sephiroth spoke up, _"I never know with you, you've had information that has shocked me before…"_

Genesis' facial muscles twitched in annoyance, "Oh, Shut the hell up… I'd like to see you do better."

Sephiroth hummed into the phone, now only half listening, _"He is surprisingly easy to talk to, just talk about weapons, or run battle scenarios… but no poetry. You will only drive him insane; like you do everyone else. If he really is not what he appears to be, you will probably be the first that he kills."_

XxX

Cloud glanced over at the mantle next to the sink and found a new First Class uniform waiting for him. It was enough to bring back memories of his AVALANCHE escapades, the thought brought a sad smile to his face.

The blonde stood and made his way over to the new clothing that was waiting for him. When he pulled the top off the pile, and shook it out to look at it properly. Nostalgia.

His mind wandered to AVALANCHE, thinking of everyone that he had left behind, and how the eco-terrorist organization was different in the beginning. He didn't know all the details; only snip-its of what he had experienced, heard Zack tell him that he had heard from Sephiroth, and what he, himself, had heard from Reno. He knew that Elfe was the leader, and that she carried a summon materia in her body. He knew that the scientist behind AVALANCHE's Ravens was somewhat like Hojo, tinkering where no human should and snatching up innocent people to use in his deranged experiments. He knew that Elfe was Veld's daughter, and that the man had lost her at a young age. So many things he knew, that he couldn't tell a soul without raising suspicions… but then, he had already set a different course in this time by talking to Veld…

Cloud could feel himself getting lightheaded at all the possible doors he was opening by telling Veld about his daughter earlier than the original timeline. It was best not to think about it. He shook his head and heaved a sigh before grabbing the underwear set out for him. A pair of black boxer shorts; funny, he had worn them too, back in his AVALANCHE days.

He dressed quickly and took a look at himself in the mirror. Subconsciously he began to preen his spikes. It really wasn't a matter of looking good for others, it was the matter of looking the way he wanted. He could care less what others thought of his appearance.

Genesis knocked on the door before entering, but didn't bother waiting for a response before he opened the door. "Hmm… funny, looks very natural on you. I, myself, cannot stand the company uniforms… they have no flare," he mumbled as he gave Cloud a once over. The blonde really was good looking, and something about him drew Genesis in. Apparently, it also drew in Sephiroth, Zack, and Reno as well. He hadn't missed the predatory look that the redhead had given the blonde. Zack didn't seem to notice how he moved, and fidgeted closer to Cloud when they talked. Sephiroth… he hadn't really seen them interact, but he imagined that the socially inept general had a harder time talking with the man than he had previously stated.

"Yeah? Kinda weird…" Cloud said lightly as he stopped readjusting his spikes. Before he could say anything else his stomach growled, prompting an amused look from Genesis.

"It's past lunch time… I'll order something. What do you like?" the copper haired man asked as he flipped his phone out.

"Anything is fine, I'm not picky," the blonde said with a shrug. It was the truth, he'd eat almost anything. Chocobos being one of the only exceptions…

XxX

While they ate they talked about meaningless things. Shin-Ra's dress code, the air in Midgar compared to their hometowns, how messed up the slums had gotten, and the mako reactors. Cloud seemed to be more at ease with the man after they had talked for a while. He felt a connection between himself and Genesis, and knew it was the Jenova cells in their bodies, but it wasn't like his connection to Sephiroth, or even Zack. The connection with Genesis was significantly less apparent than the others, possibly because his body had mutated the Jenova cells inside of it and made them unique.

By the time Sephiroth and Angeal got back Genesis and Cloud were engaged in a conversation about Genesis' childhood, talking about the dumbapples in his village.

"So, why're they called 'dumbapples'?" Cloud asked halfheartedly, somewhat remembering Zack telling him about them.

"They don't have a particular time of the year to be harvested, they're sporadic in their time of ripening." Genesis told him as he continued to cut up one of the Banora Whites that had been sitting on his counter.

"I've never had one, are they anything like peaches?" Cloud asked distractedly as he saw the other two Firsts enter the apartment without so much as knocking.

"I've never had a peach, I wouldn't know…" the copper haired man admitted as he cut the seeds out of the wedged the apple slices, not bothering to peel the skin off of the outside.

"Genesis doesn't eat anything with hair on it," Angeal said as he leaned his buster sword against the wall, near the door. Cloud watched on as Sephiroth did the same with Masamune. The blonde's bright blue eyes flicked up to the clock long enough to see that it was just past midnight. It was strange, it didn't feel as though it was that late, but then again he hadn't actually sat down and had a good conversation with someone in a long time.

"It's not that bad, and you can always cut the skin off," Cloud told them as he turned his eyes back to Genesis. He was surprised to see the man offering him a slice of the apple he had been cutting. Hesitantly, he took it and looked it over; a bit put off by the mottled looking skin. With a shrug he chomped off half of the slice, surprised by how sweet it was.

"Good, right?" Genesis grinned slightly.

Cloud popped the other half in his mouth and smiled quietly at the copper haired man. "It's okay," he said, knowing that it would get a reaction out of Genesis. Things had been awkward between them after the comment about Zack being jailbait, but when Genesis didn't push the issue of his sexual preference; and then saw him naked and didn't make an advance, things smoothed out and the two actually sort of enjoyed each others company.

Sephiroth sat on the couch and listened to Genesis give an exasperated sigh and mumble about uncultured men, to which Cloud and Angeal both gave a brief laugh. He felt oddly out of place, and something inside him was stirring; seeing Cloud with Angeal and Genesis, so close.

"What about strawberries?" Cloud's quiet voice asked the boisterous redhead.

Angeal answered for Genesis, proving that he indeed knew the man better than anyone, "He's never had one, they have too many seeds."

Cloud gaped silently for a moment, "So, you've only ever eaten apples? No mangos or melons either?"

Genesis chuckled, "I've only ever really cared for apples, other fruits just seem inferior. Besides, I've eaten them all my life, why change that now?"

"Change is not always a bad thing," Sephiroth said from the couch, surprising them all and voicing Cloud's thoughts all at the same time.

Angeal nodded in agreement and gave Genesis a stern look, "You really should try new things sometimes."

Genesis scoffed and cut another wedge off of his apple, "What are you, my mother?"

From the couch, Sephiroth snorted at his friends banter. "So, how did today go? Any issues that need to be taken care of?" As he spoke the general half turned in his seat, so that he was facing the other men. Green eyes took in Cloud's form in the First Class uniform. It looked like it was made for him, but it left Sephiroth wondering, "Where are your clothes?"

"I'm sending them down to my tailor to have a few more made for him. Is that a problem?" Genesis asked in a deceivingly sweet voice. Clearly his tone or intention struck something inside Sephiroth because the man stood up and began to head toward the door.

"Come Cloud, we have to be up in six or so hours," he told the blonde as he grabbed his sword from beside the door. "I have reserved a room in the regular army's training hall," he explained before Cloud could ask. The blonde cast a look at Genesis and Angeal before shrugging and following his guardian.

Genesis bid him goodnight and Angeal gave him a friendly nod as he left with Sephiroth. The silver haired general seemed irked, his shoulders were stiff and his posture was almost too straight. Cloud stared at the man's back, not sure if Sephiroth could feel his eyes on him or not. He most likely could, but the blonde humored himself and let himself stare for a bit.

"So, how'd your mission go?" Cloud asked conversationally, surprising himself.

"I am not authorized to talk about Shin-Ra matters with unauthorized personnel," Sephiroth told him automatically, almost mechanically, like he was used to being asked about his missions.

"I don't wanna know what you did, just if it went well or not," the blonde mumbled as he cast his gaze elsewhere.

Sephiroth stopped walking so suddenly that Cloud bumped into his back. Both men stood still for an awkward moment before Cloud backed away and waited for Sephiroth to say what was on his mind.

"It went… well, we completed our assignment and came back unharmed," the general said softly, not turning to look back at his blonde charge. He sighed and his shoulders relaxed slightly, he wouldn't admit that he had been worried about leaving Cloud with Genesis. It left him with mixed feelings.

"Good," Cloud said as he watched the general relax a little, though when he spoke he saw Sephiroth straighten up and begin to stride away, walking back to the elevator to move to his own floor. There was a strange sort of silence between them as they made their way to the general's suite. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either; just something in between.

When they entered the suite Cloud went straight to his room and flipped his phone out to send Veld a return message. He thought on what the Turk could do for him, '_For you to keep the summon materia safe, and a few favors.'_

The answering reply surprised him, _'The materia will be kept away from those that would use it irresponsibly. As for the favors, maybe if they are within my power.'_

Cloud shrugged and decided that it was better than nothing, from what he knew Veld was a responsible man. As for the favors, _'There are creatures in Cosmos Canyon that Hojo wants for his experiments, I want to make sure neither of them is captured.'_

There was a long stretch of time before the next message, so long that the blonde began to doze. When his phone buzzed he was abruptly brought out of his dazed state. _'I'll see what I can do. And?'_

Cloud tapped his phone against his chin as he thought. Vincent came to mind and he was reminded of the things that had happened in the past that could be prevented now. He wasn't able to save Vincent from his awful fate, but he could at least rouse him into the world of the living sooner rather than later. _'There is a Turk below the Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim. Hojo has been tinkering with him for a long time, it may be difficult to get him to come out. Mention Sephiroth and he may come around quicker.'_

'_Turk?' _the reply was almost instantaneous.

'_Vincent Valentine.' _Cloud felt a familiar fondness for the dark Turk. Vincent had helped him through times that the others couldn't even have begun to understand. They had even shared a bed on occasion, until the stigma had begun to effect Cloud.

'_Interesting. Anything else?' _It was hard to tell if the man was being sarcastic about the whole situation, but of what Cloud knew of his character he seriously doubted that the man did much joking around at all.

'_In Corel, AVALANCHE is going to make their base close to there. There are good people there, and Shin-Ra is going to destroy their lives if someone doesn't do something.' _Cloud tried to explain, finding it hard to believe himself. If he told Veld too much, would the Turks come for him?

'_How do you know?'_ the turk asked.

'_Does it matter? I don't have a reason to lie to you.' _Cloud typed defensively.

'_Actually it does. And you could have ulterior motive if you are one of AVALANCHE's agents. You could be giving me the runaround. Yes, you gave information on Felicia, but that doesn't mean that you can be trusted without question.' _came the next message.

Cloud huffed an inaudible sigh, _'That could be true, I suppose, but will you at least investigate the matters. If you find them true then will you do something about them?'_

'_We will see.'_ the Turk told him. Veld did not respond to any more of the blonde's messages on the matter, or any other matter… Cloud fell asleep staring at his phone, waiting to see if the Turk would do the things that he could not while he was on 'probation'.

XxX

Zack turned over in his bunk and stared at the man on the bed that was adjacent to his own. He couldn't get his mind off of the way Cloud moved. There was something familiar about it, something so familiar that it was almost painful. The teenager sighed softly and let his mind wander, replaying the meeting with the blonde. Cloud really was… pretty, for a man. Not in the flamboyant way that Genesis was goodlooking, but not ruggedly handsome like Angeal. He was almost like Sephiroth… pretty in an unearthly way, like he had been sent from the Lifestream.

XxX

Reno rolled over in his bed grabbing a tissue from the bedside table. He wiped off his hand and his lower body, if anything had gotten on the sheets then he would worry about it in the morning. After throwing the tissue away he let his body sag into the bed. He wasn't able to sleep at night if he didn't jerk off at least once before bedtime, he wasn't sure why; possibly his overactive sex drive, perhaps he just needed the unwind…

The redhead buried his face in his pillows and let his mind get hazy, let it drift. When Zack's new blonde friend came to mind the redhead groaned softly. Thinking about that downy looking hair, pouty lips and ethereal blue eyes did nothing to help him drift to sleep. He cursed into his pillows and got ready to roll over and start his nightly ritual all over again.

XxX

Sephiroth pulled all of his hair over one of his shoulders and started to run a steel tooth comb through it, his mind on the blonde that was a few doors down from his bedroom. The only thing separating them were a few walls and a bathroom. He scoffed at his own thoughts, he didn't even know the man… yet, his body still yearned to be close to the smaller man. Something was definitely different about Cloud.

XxX

Days went by, Cloud spent time with Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth regularly. When he could get away with it he would seek out Zack, or rather Zack would conveniently turn up close to where he was, usually with Reno in tow. He didn't hear from Veld for a week. When the man finally texted him it was a short and simple message, _'It will be done.'_

A huge weight was lifted off of the blonde's shoulders and he let himself relax a little. He occasionally caught snippits of conversations about how AVALANCHE seemed to have been disbanded, or had gone into hiding. Things felt like they were going to be much different this time around, but the thought of second chances left the blonde to cautiously looking for a doppelganger of himself around each and every corner.

One day, after he had been training with Zack, teaching him to focus his energy into his sword. Teaching the teen the Blade Beam technique might have been a mistake on his part, but he felt a surge of pride when Zack was actually able to pull off a miniscule version of the attack. It left him wondering why Angeal wouldn't train the teen. When he asked the muscular man about the raven haired teen, Angeal would just sigh and shake his head. Zack reminded him too much of himself when he first entered SOLDIER, and he didn't want to be the one to take away that childish innocence and dream of being the hero that everyone needed.

Angeal commented on a few of his techniques and how similar their fighting styles were, Cloud would only respond by telling the man that a close friend had taught him. The black haired man didn't seem suspicious, just surprised that someone else could use the rough and tumble sword arts; using both blade and their body. The two warriors had a healthy respect for one another.

After spending a month or so training Zack every chance he got, the boy was sent on a mission. Finally he was able to test the new technique that he had been working so hard on. Reno wished Zack luck, and Cloud told him to watch himself and be careful. The teen turned into a sputtering mess when Cloud asked for his PHS number, just in case the ravenette needed anything. At which point Reno forced his number on the blonde as well, telling him that he never knew when he'd need a hero to come save his pretty self. Zack left with Cloud raging at Reno about not underestimating a man because of his looks.


	8. Chapter 7

Here you go. Finally updated. I'm so happy to be done with this damn chapter. I butchered most of it, but I just can't work on it anymore...

Thanks for the support guys, I really appreciate it. As usual, tell me if you see any serious spelling mistakes, or misplaced/incorrect words. Thanks.

~Abby

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><p>"I've got my own room," Reno whispered into the blonde's ear, intentionally brushing up against his back. Cloud simply ignored him and continued to watch Genesis and Sephiroth spar. Zack was away on another mission, it seemed that Lazard was liking his progress since he had begun his informal tutelage under Cloud.<p>

Reno had begun his advances around a month after Cloud's arrival, and didn't let up on them; even when threatened with dismemberment. They seemed to be in good nature, and with a hint of playfulness; but obnoxious and overbearing, and had a way of getting the blonde hot under the collar with just by hearing Reno's voice… it caused no end of annoyance. Cloud didn't remember Reno's voice having such an effect on him in his life before the trip back, sure Reno was a good looking guy and he supposed that the man's lazy drawl had its own appeal…

Sephiroth's bright green eyes regarded the creeping redhead half heartedly, momentarily distracting him from his fight and leaving an opening for Genesis. The Crimson General, however, did not move fast enough and was instead forced back by a powerful backslash. The silver haired man seemed to be channeling his annoyance into energy, something that Cloud envied.

"Come on, blondie. You know you're curious about if this pretty red mane of mine is all natural…" Reno coaxed softly. He was being particularly persistent…

"Are you in heat or something? Go find another leg to hump," Cloud growled at the man that had been looming over him for the past half hour. Genesis and Sephiroth brought their session to an end and regarded the pair curiously. Since arriving Cloud had given no indication to what his orientation was, and would get annoyed when the subject was brought up. It seemed to bother Genesis the most… his curiosity was left unsatisfied, and it bothered him to no end.

"You wound me, yo," Reno pouted, placing a hand over his heart, "I just wanna have some fun while I have some time off. Won't you come and play with me." The redhead was half a head taller than Cloud, making it easier for him to whisper dirty things into the blonde's ears.

"If you want something to do, I can find you something to do," Genesis said in annoyance. He was beginning to accept the blonde as a friend, and it vexed him to see the man being dogged upon.

"Oh, I know what I wanna do," the fiery haired man purred, a sly look on his face; his blue-green eyes are casting a sidelong glance at Cloud, "Can't really get close to blondie when Zack is around, the kid requires constant attention, and otherwise I don't really see him much. If I gotta get all my flirting in right now then you're just gonna have to deal with it, yo… Sir…" his voice grew steadily quieter as he spoke, and the 'Sir.' was spoken with uncertainty.

"SOLDIER Second Class Reno… unless you wish to be assigned a shorter vacation and a trip to Wutia, then I suggest that you find an activity that does not involve propositioning another Shin-Ra employee for your… leisurely actitivies." Sephiroth said, looking every bit as disinterested as he sounded. His annoyance was masked well however, the spark of sadistic pleasure that flashed in his eyes when Reno cringed away from the blonde was something that could not be missed.

"Yeah, alright… I get it…" Reno mutter as he slid his hands into his pockets and kicked up some of the implanted grass. "Will you at least come get something to eat with me?" he asked softly, oddly downcast. He had to know that the others could hear; but he did not let it deter him. Cloud hummed his response, thinking it over, and looked over at Angeal; who was ignoring the whole situation, going over messages in his phone, or at least pretending too.

It was just lunch, but he would have to deal with the fiery haired man's talking; though Reno seemed subdued for the moment. He really wouldn't be so bad if he'd just stop hounding Cloud. After weighing out the pros and cons, Cloud made a decision against his better judgment, "Food sounds good."

Sephiroth made a face that Cloud couldn't quite identify. He didn't have to wait long to find out what it meant though.

"You are not planning on going to the Army's cafeteria, are you?" His voice was laced with something akin to annoyance. He had to keep Cloud close because of the blonde's probation, if he decided to wander into the regular army's mess hall, then he would have to follow… and be gawked at the entire time.

"Well, he can't go up to the SOLDIER mess. 'n I was actually thinkin' of ordering something from a pizza joint," Reno had to point out the obvious, thinking that his commanding officers were a tad too self-absorbed to remember such things. He was planning on eating in his apartment, which was in the SOLDIER housing section.

"And where would we be eating?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow. Reno couldn't keep his face neutral, a lazy smile played across his lips. It was enough to answer Cloud's question. The blonde almost smiled at the fiery redheaded man, the corners of his mouth twitched before he lowered his head.

"I have paperwork to complete, this sparring session was only a break; or did you forget, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked the blonde who was hiding his small smile. There was a tugging in the silver haired man's chest. Making his instincts roar at him, telling him not to leave Cloud and Reno together alone.

"As long as a SOLDIER is with him, I think it would be alright. Reno is a SOLDIER…" Angeal spoke for the first time since the group had walked outside. Genesis looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding his tongue. "Besides, he could probably use a break from us breathing down his neck all the time…" the black haired man reasoned.

Sephiroth felt torn… if he gave Cloud the freedom to spread his wings, even just a little, then he would only yearn for more. The blonde seemed rather reclusive when he wasn't being dragged around by Angeal, Genesis, or himself. If he gained enough freedom then he might not want to associate with them at all… He felt ridiculous thinking about it, though; Cloud was his friend, they were more alike than anyone else that Sephiroth had ever met.

"I do not… see why he could not. Return to my office when you are done with your meal," as he spoke his green eyes scanned over Cloud's relaxed form. Even with the monstrous sword on his back, he still seemed at ease around them; and that said something about his trust in them. Maybe he wouldn't fly away…

XxXxXxXxX

Reno grinned and stretched out across his couch. He was having a good time, and he didn't even have to take his pants off. Cloud was easy enough to talk to, you could talk about almost anything with the man and he'd add his two gil; and then some.

"Sephiroth seems a little… overprotective, yah?" Reno asked from his relaxed position on the couch. He twisted a bit to look at the blonde sitting in the armchair near his head. Cloud was staring at the empty pizza box, with a glassy look; no, staring into space, the pizza box just so happened to be in his line of sight. Before Reno could open his mouth to ask if he was okay Cloud blinked and looked right into his eyes.

"Sephiroth just takes his job seriously, you should know that," his lips quirked at the corner as he spoke to the redhead. Sephiroth really did seem like a father trying to protect his virgin daughter… or a jealous, and possessive lover. One of the images made him smile slightly, and the other send a chill down his spine. He knew that the general thought about him in strange ways, he could feel the beckoning; but Sephiroth was probably like that with all of his friends. Guarding them from others, like a child might do to their toys.

"Yeah, I guess… So, blondie… you sure you don't wanna fool around? Now would be a great time if you felt like it; no Zack, no Sephiroth, just you and me." he said as a grin crept onto his face. Cloud actually considered it. The last time he had done anything of a sexual nature had been before he contracted Geostigma. That had been over a year ago… or something to that effect.

"I dunno, Reno. We barely know each other," he tried to make an excuse to escape, but his body was already picking up the signs of sexual tension between the two of them.

"And? I can tell you're a good guy, Cloud. You ain't the backstabbing type, or the kind to run off when people need ya." Reno said as he sat up, his wild red hair flattened in some spots from his rolling on the couch.

"Yeah, but I don't really know you…" Cloud reestablished.

"I don't sleep around, there's only one other guy that I mess with and it's not serious… dude's too young for it to be anything more than fooling around. And I haven't seen any women around here other than the Turk chicks… and I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole, they always come with strings attached, yo." Reno informed with a slight pout.

Cloud couldn't help the quiet smile that made its way across his lips. Reno really was different in this new life, or maybe it's that he never actually got to know the redhead in his past life…

"It's not like you're a virgin, right?" said redhead asked curiously. He had his body twisted in such a way that he could watch Cloud closely. Paying close attention to his body language and movements.

Cloud didn't see a reason to lie, "No, I'm not, but what makes you think I go for fiery haired imps like yourself?" At that Reno grinned.

The redhead sat up properly and flicked a few strands of hair from his face, his smile quieted down somewhat, "So, how'd you lose the big V, blondie?"

Cloud, again didn't see any reason in lying, told him the truth, "I lost it to a lab tech." He didn't go into detail about how his innocence had been stolen from him, forcibly taken without his consent… no, no one needed to know that…

Reno seemed to get the gist of what was being implied and became somewhat sad looking, "Sorry for bringin' it up, yo." Cloud shrugged it off. He had gotten past that part in his life, leaving the memory buried in the back of his mind. It still hurt when it was brought up, but he could push the pain back; it wasn't as if Reno knew and was bringing it up to hurt him. No, the redhead was just a curious pervert.

Deciding that it didn't much matter who knew now that his past partners couldn't be threatened, Cloud spoke up, "I've had other partners, a few older than I am, and one about half a decade younger than me. They didn't seem to mind each other, that is, they were civil toward each other…"

Reno gaped, "So, like, you're one of those open relationship kinda guys?" he asked cautiously.

Cloud pondered the question for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." When Reno continued to look at him with curiosity he chuckled, "A black… gang leader, a flower girl, a… marksman, and a ninja wanna-be." Reno seemed to ponder on this, probably because Cloud had only given him one gender; so again, without really knowing what was making him so talkative, the blonde took mercy on him, "Two men and two women."

Reno's face lit up, "So you do swing both ways. I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. I've had partners from both sides too, none as interesting sounding as yours though… except the gang leader one. I've had one of those, too." Reno rose from the couch as he spoke and made his way toward his kitchen. "Beer?" he asked from around the corner.

Cloud considered it, but shook his head instead, "Water." He could hear some clattering and then the tap of the sink running. While the redhead was busy, Cloud had time to think about his proposal. Fooling around with Reno wouldn't be the first stupid thing that he had done… and the redhead did have a great deal of sex appeal… but he couldn't help feeling that he would be taking advantage of Sephiroth's trust. They were friends now, as strange as it seemed. Seeing the general laugh and talk about things casually had made him so much more human in Cloud's mind… and he could feel the possessiveness radiating off of the Silver General. He knew it was the mixture of J-Cells and S-Cells in his body that were making him feel like he could only have the silver haired man as a partner now, that and Sephiroth's influence…

"…-oud… Yo. Here's your water," Reno said from his spot in front of the lost looking blonde. Cloud had looked so lost in thought when he came back that he hadn't wanted to disturb him, but after a few minutes of the man not noticing he was there he began to get irritated. Bright, ocean blue eyes regarded him after a moment, and though the blonde did not say anything, he did take the glass being offered to him.

As Reno sat back down with his beer, Cloud spoke, "So, you and Zack…" The redhead choked on his first swig, but Cloud waited patiently before continuing. Once Reno had calmed down and was looking at him cautiously, he continued, "You and Zack are really close, huh?"

Cloud could hear the redhead heave a sigh of relief, "Yeah, I got brought in on charges. They told me I could join SOLDIER and turn my life around, or I could rot in a cell. I chose SOLDIER, and there Zack was… still trying to get in. We were put in the same squad because they couldn't put me directly into the program without knowing what I was capable of, so me and him were squad mates for a while. I passed before he did, but promised to keep an eye on him; by the time he got in I was being promoted to a Second. Now he's about to be a Second, and it's all thanks to you… so, from the bottom of my heart, than you, man. You helped out my best friend, without taking him away." Reno sounded shockingly sincere, and spoke so fondly of Zack… Cloud already knew what was going on, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"He's got the talent, he just needs to be shown how to use it properly. He's gonna go far Reno, First Class in no time," Cloud informed his redheaded companion, "Zack's a hero whether he knows it or not…"

Reno nodded understandingly, "He is something, huh?"

They sat in silence for a while, Reno emptying his bottle and Cloud thinking.

Reno broke the silence, "So, you get either of the chicks pregnant? 'cause you seem like you're good with kids, I mean, you handle Zack really well."

Cloud hummed at the thought of Aerith or Yuffie having one of his children. It would have been nice… "No, I can't have children…" the blonde said reluctantly… hating to hear it. Hojo had done so much to his body that he had made him sterile, taken away any hope that he had of procreating.

"One of them didn't really love me for me at first, she only loved me because I reminded her of someone that she had lost; and the other was too young anyway," Cloud volunteered as he thought back on the two women that he had loved.

Reno looked on thoughtfully, respecting the blonde enough to give him a moment; then opened his mouth again, "And with the guys? You a pitcher or a catcher?" A perverted half smile came to his face as he interrogated the blonde.

Cloud glanced over at Reno from the corner of his eye. A small smile of his own fixed on his face, "I've told you enough, I need to get back before Sephiroth thinks I've become a terrorist and am planning on trying to take down old man Shinra. Can't have my babysitter worrying over me."

"Hey, you never answered my question straight…" Reno said, somewhat disappointed.

"Maybe some other time Reno, when we know each other better…" the blonde told him as he got up and headed for the door.

"You mean it, Blondie?" Reno asked from his spot, clearly not moving to show the blonde out.

"Yeah, maybe when we know a little more about each other…" Cloud said toward the redhead, surprising himself by how honest he sounded. He was really thinking about it, but not now, especially with the wave of feelings he had been getting off of Sephiroth lately. It would just be like asking for something to happen to Reno… and Cloud had begun to grow fond of the exuberant redhead.

XxXxXxXxX

Sephiroth sat in his office, staring down at his unfinished reports, with a feeling of dread growing in his gut. Reno was a smooth talking city boy, and Cloud had admitted to them that he was a country boy… Genesis had told him that it would make for interesting chemistry between the two, but he didn't want that. If it was up to Sephiroth, he would have clipped the blonde's wings shortly after his arrival, further limiting what little freedom that the blonde had. But that wouldn't be fair…

It wasn't fair that Sephiroth had this feeling blossoming in his chest; this light, airy feeling of contentment when he was around Cloud. When they would talk, eat together, or spar. It wasn't fair that he felt a burning rage when he saw that Second Class imp brush up against, or put his hands on the blonde. Sephiroth felt confused, and angry at these new feelings growing inside him… maybe something was wrong… maybe the mako was confusing his hormones and making him temperamental and territorial… because it wasn't just Reno that made him feel inadequate. When it came to Cloud he felt inadequate to everyone the blonde had contact with… Genesis, Angeal, Zack, Reno, and a few of the other lower ranking SOLDIER.

Something dark was growing inside of him, he could feel it… it was rooting itself deep inside, whispering nonsense to him. His eye glanced toward the clock quickly, before returning to his report. Cloud was taking his sweet time getting back… it was just lunch, right?

A flash of Cloud bent over that obnoxious redhead's couch came to his mind, causing him to tighten his grip on the pen in his hand. Reno's hands all over Cloud's body, and the blonde moaning for him…

Before he could think too far into it, his office door was opened and the object of his obsession slid into the room. Green eyes scanned over the man, checking to make sure everything was as it should have been. Everything seemed to be in place, and he didn't smell of bodily fluids… but that didn't mean that he hadn't done anything. That thought alone was enough to drive Sephiroth to stand and stride over to the smaller man.

Cloud seemed a bit put off by the action, but didn't shy away when Sephiroth came to stand before him. They were friends now, he had nothing to fear…

"Is there something wrong?" Cloud asked casually, letting his bright eyes meet Sephiroth's. The man seemed confused, and angry, but not violent.

Instead of answering Sephiroth leaned down and mashed his mouth against the blonde's. In his confusion, Cloud floundered for what to do or say to the man. The kiss was all teeth and tongue, but did not get drive the blonde to do anything in return. The lack of response did nothing to deter the silver haired man. He pressed forward, nipping at the blonde's bottom lip before pushing his tongue Cloud's slack mouth.

Leather clad hands began to wander, began to unzip the blonde's vest. The force in which his hand was seized was enough to make him cringe, and draw away from the man before him. Cloud looked distant for a moment before looking him in the eyes, "Leave the vest alone…"

Sephiroth nodded and pressed back against the man, driving his tongue back into the blonde's mouth; exploring every corner he could as his hands slid down to mercenary's cargo pants. If Cloud was going to protest he didn't do it fast enough, Sephiroth grabbed his ass and spread the blonde's legs a bit wider; pressing one of his own between them. He could feel the blonde getting hard against his thigh. The stress seemed mutual and they continued to lock lips as Sephiroth locked his office door and guided the smaller man over to his desk.

They separated long enough for the general to take the stack of reports off of his desk and place them down beside his office chair. Cloud was pressed against the edge of the large wooden desk. He wasn't putting up a fight, but Sephirtoh asked anyway, "Is this acceptable?"

"The desk, or the fact that we're about to have sex?" the blonde asked without batting an eye. He seemed calm and collected, albeit a little breathless.

"The intercourse…" Sephiroth answered as he closed in and pressed his lower body to Cloud's. The silver haired man was already beginning to harden, and could feel the blonde's body responding readily.

There was a long pause before Cloud spoke, as if he was thinking extremely hard on the situation. "I never could tell you no… do as you wish." he whispered, barely loud enough for Sephiroth to hear. It confused the general, but he didn't let it stop him from taking the invitation.

The Silver General worked at the sword harness first, getting it out of the way so that Cloud could relax back; into the desk. His mouth attached itself to the exposed skin of the blonde's neck, where it nipped and kissed down to his exposed chest. Since the blonde wouldn't let him pull the zipper the rest of the way down, he nipped rather harshly at the exposed chest muscles; making Cloud jolt. He knew that no marks would stay for long on a body as augmented as the blonde's. Cloud's body was probably much like his own, and a hickey or bruise wouldn't last more than a few hours.

Leather clad hands moved down the blonde's sides to his back, traveling down to squeeze, and knead his firm bottom through his cargo pants; roughly rubbing the back of the mercenary's thighs, and pulling him closer. The silver haired man smiled against the blonde's neck when he felt the telltale tenting against his own body. He had been feeling so tense, wanting; feeling like the blonde was teasing him by just existing. The thought of Cloud was enough to set his blood aflame, and the fact that the blonde slept just across the hallway from him was enough to drive him mad. He slept near, ate breakfast with, and spent nearly everyday with the man; he had never felt anything so strongly for a person. Cloud talked to him like a person, related to his problems, and understood when to give him space.

The blonde gripped the edge of the desk as Sephiroth pushed him up onto it. Deep blue eyes slid closed as the general licked along his jaw line, all the way up to his ear; which he latched onto and tugged. He could feel Cloud's sleeved arm reach up and tangle its fingers into his hair. A small noise escaped the blonde as he turned his head enough to dislodge the general's mouth from his earlobe, then he mashed their mouths back together; giving the Silver General all of his frustration in a kiss that involved teeth, tongue, and lips. Sephiroth growled softly and pulled Cloud's legs around his waist, forcing their hips as close together as he possibly could. The silver haired man growled in frustration as the fabric separating them became more than annoying. He pulled away from the blonde as much as Cloud would allow and fumbled with the fly of the man's cargo pants.

"How long has it been?" he asked vaugly, meaning how long had it been since the blonde had last engaged in a sexual act; the question came across clearly to the blonde, however.

"A while, over half a year," his soft voice informed the general. Sephiroth was left wondering who else had had their way with the beautiful blonde sitting on his desk. Cloud's hand unclenched from his hair and ran down his neck to rub his exposed chest, feeling the muscle underneath his gloved fingers. Sephiroth took a moment to just look at him. Blonde hair was slightly mussed, attractively tussled, eyes were half lidded and heavy, lips were parted and wanting, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his clothing and body language screamed 'ravage me', to the general.

Sephiroth roughly tugged open the fly of the denim-canvas material, exposing the blonde's bulged boxer shorts. Cloud groaned gratefully at the pressure relief, his hand slid across the general's chest; gripping his crossed harness and pulling him close again to nip at Sephiroth's bottom lip. The blonde held it between his teeth and tugged, inviting the general in for another bruising kiss.

Sephiroth took hold of the back of Cloud's pants and underwear giving them a rough yank, pulling them out from under his bottom and down his legs before dropping them on the floor; and kicking them under his desk. The blonde did not protest, only grunted before settling back down on the desk, his bare bottom on the hard wood. The general stripped off one of his gloves with his teeth and dropped it haphazardly on the floor, not really caring where it went.

Sephiroth's naked hand moved down the blonde's thigh; powerful, pale, scarred. The skin on Cloud's legs was smooth, with slightly raised scars along them. The silver haired man hummed softly as his fingers ghosted up the blonde's inner thighs, to his half raised erection. He rubbed his fingers over the velvety skin and over the head; listening to Cloud sigh appreciatively.

Fingers traveled down the blonde's erection, over and under his sac, over the valley between, and to his hole. He only ran his fingers over it, know that if he breached the blonde dryly it would only cause him discomfort. The Silver General silently thanked Genesis for nagging him to keep protection and lubricant ready at all times. In his desk drawer was everything he would need for his encounter with the blonde.

A little smirk made its way onto his face as he opened the desk drawer and withdrew a small tube of lubricant and a condom, setting them beside the blonde. Cloud raised an eyebrow at him, looking somewhat amused.

Cloud removed his gloves and took the lubricant in hand. "You really wanna do this on your desk?" he asked, amused at seeing such a side of the general that he had admired for so long. Sephiroth thought for a moment before nodding once. Cloud huffed a sigh and hopped off the desk, standing in front of the general; pressed against him. The blonde gave the silver haired man a meaningful look before turning around and propping one leg up on the desk, leaving himself open and vulnerable.

Sephiroth stood behind him, watching silently; the tightness in his pants getting worse as the blonde lubed up his fingers and moved them down to his entrance. The blonde's length twitched under the desk, making Cloud suck in a quick breath.

The lubricant was cold when it touched his puckered entrance, and it made the blonde jolt slightly. He carefully pressed a finger in and moved it about. He added a second finger within a minute, and began to stretch himself. Mako enhanced pools peered over his shoulder at the silver haired man behind him, to find the man exposed and fondling himself. "Enjoying the show, General?"

Sephiroth hummed softly, a smirk on his face as he watched the blonde work his fingers in his entrance. Scissoring, and stretching the tight ring of muscle. The blonde's erection was trapped under the desk's edge, straining to stand up farther. Preseed was beginning to dew up on the head of his shaft. The silver haired man stood back, fisted his cock, and let his eyes droop slightly as he carefully watched what the gorgeous man before him was doing.

After a short while the blonde removed his fingers from his passage and one of his cheeks up to further expose himself to the Silver General. Sephiroth groaned quietly, snatching up the condom packet and tearing the foil open with his teeth. He rolled the rubber down over his straining length, and stepped forward to place the blunt head against Cloud's puckered hole.

As he pushed in he slowly let out the breath that he was holding, pressing himself into the gripping heat. The SOLDIER General knew that he wasn't going to last long, after watching the blonde prepare himself; and thinking of what the man could have been doing with that obnoxious redhead. He had worked himself up, and now he was going to embarrass himself by finishing prematurely. Something that the silver haired man didn't know was that his feelings of longing, and lust were reflecting onto Cloud; making the blonde just as horny as he was. When their hips met and he was fully sheathed in the blonde he stopped for a moment, letting the smaller man adjust.

Cloud apparently didn't need long, because he was pushing back against the silver haired man in an eager fashion. Sephiroth drew back, pulling out to the tip then pressed back in; starting with long, slow thrusts. The blonde pushed back at the appropriate time and a rhythm began between the two. They only went slow for a brief period of time, enough for Cloud to adjust, then the sound of skin smacking together could be heard bouncing off the walls. Sephiroth took hold of the blonde's hips and drove in harder and faster, leaving the mercenary panting and gripping the edge of his desk.

It didn't take long for Sephiroth to grip the blonde's hips with bruising force, and bury himself as deeply as possible in the tight heat. He couldn't mark the man as his own, because of the condom; but that didn't stop the instinct to try. The silver haired man grunted as he emptied himself into the rubber, feeling all the tension that had been gathering between himself and the blonde melt away. Likewise, Cloud let out a low groan as he came under the desk. The blonde's entire body relaxed and he let out a long, slow sigh.

Both men stood as they were for a while, recovering from their little stress relieving session. As much as he wanted to, Sephiroth knew that he couldn't remain inside the blonde; so he slowly pulled out, took the rubber off, tied it up, and threw it into his trash bin. Cloud slowly lowered his leg, not letting on how sore his hip had become. Blue eyes glanced down to see finger shaped bruises already forming on his hips, Sephiroth definitely wasn't a gentle lover; the blonde could tell from the small bit of rough handling he had received.

Sephiroth pulled his pants up his thighs, and tucked himself in before zipping up. Green eyes strayed over to his blonde companion and were immediately drawn to his exposed bottom. Firm and pert, it was enough to make him sigh appreciatively; if only he could get the man to remove his top… the scars didn't bother him, they were just another part of the blonde that he felt compelled to learn about.

"I bet you're glad that your carpet is white," the blonde murmured as he leaned down to collect his lost clothing.

Sephiroth's eyes were drawn to the mess dripping from the underside of his desk, onto his carpet; he shrugged, "The janitor can clean it." The man seemed to think better of it however and opened one of his desk drawers to remove a box of tissues. "Then, that would be interesting gossip for the cleaning crew to spread around, would it not?" he asked as he moved to clean up the mess. Cloud only chuckled at the thought.

The blonde really could care less who knew who he was sleeping with, but obviously Sephiroth didn't want people to know he was doing unprofessional things behind closed doors. Cloud shook his head and straightened out his pants before he laid them on the desk, then stretched the waistband of his boxer shorts. He could see Sephiroth looking at his flaccid cock, the man was at eye level with his crotch. "What's so interesting?" he asked the man, the smile never really leaving his face.

"You are quite blonde… I have never seen such a vibrant color come naturally," Sephiroth said, with a serious face, referring to the blonde's pubic hair.

Cloud laugh, and shook his head; unable to think of a witty remark or even a comment on the matter. It was just something so bland, about his natural body, that the silver haired man seemed to find interesting.

Sephiroth tore his gaze away from Cloud's lower body and to the mess under his desk. He did a rough cleaning and tossed the used up tissue in the waste bin. "We are… lovers now?" he asked softly, not looking up at the blonde. Cloud found it cute, having gone through the situation a few times before.

"Caged birds don't sing, Sephiroth. I'm not the type of man that stays with one person, I'm used to having multiple partners.…" he told the Silver General as he pulled on his underwear, then cargo pants. He could not see the possessive gleam in those green eyes.

"That is… acceptable…" Sephiroth said sulkily, he kept his eyes downcast as he stood up. Clearly not used to keeping such emotions in check, Cloud could hear the irritation in his voice. What Cloud couldn't see was the dark thoughts buzzing around in the Silver General's head, dissatisfied with the thought of sharing the one person that was practically his clone; the one person that truly understood what he had gone through at Hojo's hands…

Cloud paused and looked over his shoulder at the sulking SOLDIER. A quiet smile came to his lips. It might have just been a chemical reaction that drew their bodies together, but he found himself enjoying Sephiroth's company. The blonde turned around and planted a soft kiss against the general's lips, it was returned almost immediately. It was a languid kiss, soft and lazy; when the blonde pulled away he smiled at the silver haired man.

"It's just sex, right?" Cloud asked, not really meaning anything by it; just curious as to what Sephiroth's answer would be.

There was an awkward quiet between them for a moment before Sephiroth nodded halfheartedly.

XxXxXxXxX

Zack heaved a sigh as he hopped out to the chopper, he could see Reno waiting for him on the rooftop. The redhead looked aloof and cocky all at the same time, making the raven haired Third give him an appraising look; Reno knew something that nobody else did… that was the only explanation.

"What's with the look?" he asked as he jogged toward the man. Reno only smiled lazily at him and gestured for the younger man to follow him. Zack followed eagerly, falling into step with the man.

"Talked to Cloud today… had lunch with him," Reno relayed, letting a predatory smile take over his face.

"What did you do? Reno, I know that look… what did you do to Cloud?" Zack asked protectively. His mentor had become an important, precious, irreplaceable friend; sometimes Zack questioned his feelings for the man… regardless of what he felt for the man, he didn't want anything bad to befall him. And what made things worse was that Zack knew how Reno felt about the blonde.

"Hey, don't jump to conclusions, you know I would never do something without asking you first…" Reno said, feeling somewhat hurt. "I just found out that blondie swings for both teams, and he's used to being shared. So, if we play our cards right… you and I both could bed blondie," Reno informed, sounding less hurt and more like himself.

Zack's face flushed and he gave Reno a sidelong glance, "He's my teacher, Reno… and my friend, I don't wanna mess that up…"

"Sex won't screw things up, you worry too much," Reno said as they climbed into the elevator. Both men were silent on their way down, both thinking of what the other had said. When the doors opened and Sephiroth and Cloud got in both, the Second and the Third, shifted uncomfortably.

"Zack, good to see that you made it home in one piece. I'm proud of you," Cloud said over his shoulder. Zack smiled and moved up next to the blonde man.

"I'm glad I'm back, they're trying to run me ragged. Guess they just wanna see if I got the stuff for a promotion," he said as he threw one arm over Cloud's shoulders and gave him a half hug. "I'm happy to see you though, made my day," he told his mentor.

Reno coughed and it sounded like something close to, 'Suck up.' Which only made Zack laugh.

"I'm serious," the teen insisted. He turned his head to look at Cloud, but instead caught Sephiroth's possessive glare. Slowly, he lowered his arm and shifted away from the blonde. Cloud glanced at him curiously, wondering what had come over him.

"So, where are you two headed, yo?" Reno questioned, hoping to pull the focus away from the shrinking form of Zachary Fair. It worked. Sephiroth turn his gaze back to the elevator door, and Cloud looked back at him.

"Home," the blonde said casually. Reno could tell that something about the man was different; something…

When the elevator stopped again to let a few executives on all conversation between the four men stopped. When they reached the ground floor, they parted ways without saying anything to each other.

XxXxXxXxX

Cloud was surprised when Zack practically attacked him the next day, throwing his arms around the blonde and giving him a bear hug. Their faces came close, lips almost touching; would have touched, had Cloud not turned his head. Zack drooped somewhat, but it was hardly noticeable. He didn't let his disappointment show.

"What is it, Zack?" Cloud asked, somewhat breathlessly.

"Lazard promoted me. I'm gonna be a Second class," the raven haired teen boasted, setting Cloud down, and puffing out his chest proudly. The blonde smiled at him, proud of his student's progress.

"That's great, Zack. I guess that means that you're heading for your mako booster, huh?" the blonde praised and asked halfheartedly. Zack was being drawn deeper into the den of monsters that he had mentioned a lifetime ago. It was somewhat saddening.

"Yeah. Oh, I gotta go or I'll be late, I just wanted for you to be the first to know," he grinned widely, oblivious to Cloud's brewing sadness. He waved at his mentor, turned and took off at a jog, heading for the labs. Heading toward Hojo…

Cloud sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing whether to be happy for the teen or upset at himself…

"You don't seem too happy with his promotion," Genesis said as he approached. Cloud quickly turned to face the man, sliding a mask of indifference over his face.

"It's what I'm training him for, isn't it?" he asked blandly.

"I suppose so," Genesis said lightly, already knowing the blonde well enough to know that something was upsetting him.

"I'll see you at lunch," Cloud told the copper haired man as he turned to walk toward the elevator, headed toward Sephiroth's office. Genesis didn't pursue him, he let the blonde walk away without further agitating him.

Cloud made it all the way to Sephiroth's office before he let his aggravation and stress take over. Sephiroth didn't get the chance to finish his remaining reports before lunch.

XxXxXxXxX

A month went by, Sephiroth seemed to be in a better mood with each passing day. He had his blonde friend all to himself, but he was constantly paranoid that Angeal, or Genesis was going to step in.

Genesis and Cloud interacted like friends would. They joked around, sparred together, and squabbled over little things. Never staying mad at one another for long.

Angeal and Cloud had a strange sort of relationship. They respected one another, but didn't often engage in conversation. Weapons and honor were usually their topics of choice when it actually came to talking to one another.

Then there were the two obnoxious Seconds. Zack and Reno were close to Cloud, friends that the blonde wouldn't part with if a gun was pressed to his head. It made Sephiroth uneasy. They seemed a little too familiar with each other…

The silver haired man rose from his seat and moved to the window that overlooked the training field and track. He could see Cloud standing down there with Angeal, and Zack. Most likely testing Zachary's abilities against Angeal, that was the only reason he could think of for the man to be around the rowdy teenager.

Angeal had considered Zack for training at one point, but the boy had messed up his assignment so badly that he seemed like a lost cause. Angeal had decided not to take on something that could possibly be a waste of time, he had turned Zack down.

Lately though, Zack seemed to be shaping up to be a good SOLDIER. Under Cloud's watchful eye, he was gaining abilities that far outranked those of his peers. His strength and speed were growing everyday, making him stronger and faster than most other Seconds. It was… impressive.

Sephiroth could now see the potential in the raven haired Second. His lover had obviously caught on much earlier than the general had when he offered to train the boy. The silver haired man was pulled from his thoughts by that single word. Lover. Cloud was his lover…

The blonde's words were still clear in his head however, telling him that he might not be the only one. He would have to share at one point or another…

The Silver General heaved a sigh and returned to his desk, deciding to finish up early so that he could work off some stress in a sparring match against Genesis, Cloud, or Angeal. Just something to take his mind off of all this sharing nonsense.

XxXxXxXxX

Cloud had just finished his training with Zack and thanked Angeal for his time. The man gave him a nod and headed back toward the Shin-Ra building. The blonde was heading toward Sephiroth's office, about to round the corner he heard voices. His steps became lighter, and his ears became more open. It sounded like Reno, only quieter…

"-ou think I wanna be tied to Shin-Ra for the rest of my life? You Turks are dumber than you look," the redhead said. Cloud could almost imagine the look on his face.

"You would be surprised at the perks that the job offers," a familiar voice said to the SOLDIER Second. Cloud couldn't quite place the voice, but he knew the owner somehow.

"I'm not gonna be Shin-Ra's dog," Reno said, putting harsh emphasis on his words.

"You are more suited for the Turks, with your stealth, and strength you could accomplish things that you would never dream of. Your intel gathering skills, and hacking abilities would be much better put to use with us. The Turks need someone with your strengths, Reno," the other man said. Insisting.

"I already said no. Do ya want me to shout it for everyone to hear?" Reno asked snidely.

"You may want to reconsider, we know things about you that you wouldn't want others to know. Things pertaining to a certain mission that would have gained Zachary Fair a mentorship with First Class, Angeal Hewley," the man said calmly, seeming to know that he had Reno agitated.

"You… shut the hell up, you don't know what you're talking about…" Reno's voice was suddenly becoming quieter. Almost a whisper.

"You didn't want to be alone, you wanted to keep him here, with you…" the voice seemed to taunt the redhead

"Shut up!" Reno barked at the man, "You don't know what you're fuckin' talkin' about!" Cloud could hear Reno stomping in his direction. He considered slipping into a supply closet, but didn't have much time to do so. Reno was around the corner, and in his face before he knew it. They stared at each other for a moment before silently agreeing to talk about it elsewhere.

Cloud followed Reno back to his apartment. Once the door was shut, Reno sighed and glanced over at Cloud, "So, you heard that, huh? Any chance I can get you to keep quiet about the whole thing… you can hit me, or whatever, if that will help you." When Cloud just continued to stare at him indifferently, he continued, "You've gotta be pissed off at me… I ruined Zack's chance to get a mentorship with Angeal…"

The blonde smiled slightly, "If you hadn't, then I wouldn't have gotten to be his mentor. Don't worry about it Reno, I won't say anything to Zack, or anyone else. Your secret is safe with me."

Reno's entire body was tense, but it seemed to melt away at the blonde's words. "You have no fuckin' clue how bad I felt about doing that to him…" the redhead said as he sagged down into his armchair, and buried his face in his hands. Cloud hummed in response, trying to be empathetic. The room was silent for a long moment before Reno looked up at the man and asked, "So, do we know each other well enough now?"


End file.
